You Can’t Fight Corruption Without Due Process, EFCC Boss Told
The Executive Chairman of Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman has advised the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibraheem Magu to ensure that the rule of law was strictly followed in the fight against corruption by the Commission, saying that the amended 1999 Constitution and other related laws were the foundation upon which the present democratic experiment of the nation rest on.
He, however, noted that the anti-graft Commission would not record any success in its fight against the menace of Corruption if the due process of law was not followed by the Commission, condemned Mr. Magu for launching illegal attack against the judiciary, particularly, the men of the Nigeria Bar as it affected a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Ricky Taffa, insisting that disrespect to the Court orders was another encouragement of Corruption on its own.
Reacting to the recent face-off between the men of the Nigeria Bar Association and EFCC, through a signed statement by Comrade Sulaiman which a copy was made available to newsmen in Lagos on Wedneday, pointed out that Magu led-Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) could not deny that the Commission had not aware the high level of corruption in the country before the advent of the present administration of Muhammadu Buhari but instead of the Commission that were supposed to serve as gag to corrupt tendency society were looking otherwise and who’s now to be blamed for their dereliction of duty.
CHRSJ boss cautioned the EFCC boss against the over zealousness of his men in trying to impress the President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that the men of the Commission knew those who siphoned, scandalized, diverted and encroached the nation’s resources into the private pocket as well as their collaborators without acting before the emergency of Buhari led Federal Government, urging the Commission to develop the will to nip the menace of corruption in the bud.
He said, “The rot of corruption in Nigeria is enormous and gargantuan which mere impressing President Muhammadu Buhari by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) cannot be curbed and solved. The menace of corruption has been with us in the country over the years.
“The flagrant disobedience to Court order would not help the country as a democratic nation before the international community.
“Before the country can stamp out the menace out of the land, we need to get our template right in order to get rid of corruption in our land.
“Nigeria has been eroded with moral values and it is very unfortunate that you will see Secondary School Student would think on how to leave Secondary School and get to government parastatals to get their own share of National cake and not to talk of undergraduate Students”.
Fighting Corruption Beyond Making Statements
According Sulaiman, the anti-graft Commission should rise above parochial political interest and the men and women of the Commission should develop the will to perform their constitutional duty of fighting corruption in national life”.
He therefore informed the EFCC boss to know that it was professional mandatory for the Legal Practitioners to take a brief from any client because the section 36 sub-section (5) of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had opined that “Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he/she is proved guilty”.
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