- As Falana, others declare: we’ll fight anti-graft battle obstacles
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that he would leave no stone unturned in his efforts to rid the country of corruption.
Speaking at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday at a reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps, Buhari assured that his administration would fight corruption within the ambit of the law. Buhari’s deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, had recently disclosed that the president was under intense pressure from the elite to “cool down” on the anti-corruption war.
But Buhari explained that because pervasive corruption would make it impossible to build a stable and prosperous Nigeria, it had become necessary for his government to wage a relentless war against “the cancer of corruption”.
“We are resolved to build a stable and prosperous Nigeria; a country that is inclusive of all her diverse peoples and a country that is at ease with itself. Building such a country will not be possible where corruption is pervasive. Mindful of this, it has become necessary to wage a relentless war against the cancer of corruption. So long as corruption holds center stage in the affairs of Nigeria, the country will continue to suffer incalculable harm.
“You are witnesses to the preliminary findings that have emerged in the past few weeks from our investigations into corrupt practices in different sectors of Nigeria’s Public Service. I will leave no stone unturned in the efforts to rid Nigeria of corruption. I must however, add that in doing this, we shall operate within the ambit of the law.
“In a similar fight in the past, and armed with the might of military muscle, I led a government that required persons presumed to be corrupt to prove their innocence. Today, as committed democrats, and in a culture of deepening democracy, we respect the law that presumes all persons innocent until they are proven to be guilty.
“Nigeria has no choice, nor can the country afford to be an island in itself. Against this backdrop therefore, since my assumption of office, I have demonstrated my commitment to interact with my colleagues in Nigeria’s neighbours and beyond. This is consistent with the pledge that I made at my inauguration to steer the affairs of the country in a manner that will allow us to play the role that is expected of us.
“It is for this reason, that the Foreign Policy vision which we are currently pursuing is anchored on meaningful engagement with our neighbors, the African continent and the world at large”, Buhari stated.
The president also said that unlike before he assumed office when Boko Haram insurgents were fully in control of 14 local governments in the northeast; they held no territory in the country today.
According to him, the insurgents are currently hiding in Sambisa forest in Borno State and occasionally undertake cowardly attacks on innocent citizens in soft targets.
In the meantime, lawyers stormed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday to defend the integrity of their trade and support the anti-graft agency’s battle against corruption.
The group of “Concerned Lawyers” described as embarrassing, actions of some legal practitioners which seem to be hindering the fight against corruption.
The lawyers, who were led to the agency’s Lagos office by Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), promised to mobilise Nigerians against any group seeking to hinder the anti-graft war.
They also backed the EFCC for keeping some high profile suspects in custody, wondering why the courts will grant them bail, but refuse suspected kidnappers and armed robbers bail.
The lawyers, who were received by EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu, assured the commission of their unflinching support so long as it is prepared to fight corruption without being selective.
Falana, who first spoke on behalf of the group, urged the agency to avoid generalising on corruption among lawyers, insisting that there are as many bad eggs in the legal profession as there are in the commission.
He noted the worrisome spate of corruption in the country, describing it as a family phenomenon, where fathers and their children are locked in the same prison without shame.
“We are here to assure the EFCC of our unflinching support and solidarity as long as the EFCC is prepared to fight graft without trace of selectivity.
“We also want to urge you to beware not to fall into the fallacy of generalisation. There are bad lawyers and judges, but there are also good ones.
“Name and shame criminal minded judges and lawyers. Majority of members of the legal profession are prepared to work with the EFCC to ensure that corruption is fought.
“There should be respect for lawyers doing their professional duties. No lawyer should be harassed for doing his professional duty. But any lawyer found to have aided and abated corruption should be dealt with in accordance with the laws. No one is above the law.
“We are embarrassed by a few of our privileged colleagues who bribe judges, talk to them behind doors to pervert justice,” he said.
While reiterating that every accused person is entitled to legal representation, Falana urged lawyers to uphold the ethics of their profession.
“Lawyers must not be allowed to take advantage of their profession to frustrate trial of a suspect. We have a duty to this country as ministers in the temple of justice,” he said.
Emphasising the call for bail denial for persons accused of corruption, Falana noted that the courts must exercise their discretion to bail very well.
“Why deny a suspected armed robber or kidnapper bail, but grant a person who is accused of stealing N10 billion or above bail and give him his passport to roam the world?
“Corruption is responsible for armed robbery and kidnapping. It is responsible for unemployment in our society and so, why should such people enjoy bail?
Replying, Magu said he was willing to die fighting graft, noting that corruption has started fighting back.
He said: “Corruption has started fighting back. Beneficiaries of proceeds of corruption have constituted themselves into a gang of 134 lawyers to fight back, but we will win.
“We have professionals who are paid with stolen funds to fight those fighting corruption. They do not believe that corruption in itself is wrong…”
He described them as a “set of unpatriotic Nigerians”, noting that they have created an industry out of providing expertise and technical know-how to crooks.
“It was against this backdrop that I made my call on some senior lawyers to aid EFCC to recover our stolen commonwealth, rather than helping to thwart the efforts of the government in that direction. Since I made that call, a number of your colleagues have been calling for my head.
“I want to announce that we have been prosecuting lawyers quietly. Apart from the widely published case against learned silk, Ricky Tarfa (SAN), the EFCC has taken several lawyers to court and some have been convicted. The commission would be releasing all the information about those people to the public soon.
“Apart from those, we have been quietly investigating many senior lawyers across the country in relation to the proceeds of certain heinous crimes against the Nigerian people. When we have reached a comfortable stage in our investigations, we would take them to court and make the outcomes of our inquiries known to the people.
“I am very much aware that the war against corruption and all the work of the EFCC cannot be done without the courts, where lawyers and judges make up that indispensable branch of democratic governance.
“Far from the devious insinuation that we may be denying the rights of suspects and accused persons to legal representation, what we are asking members of the noble profession to do is stricter due diligence on their prospective clients and refuse to be part of the mindless looting of Nigeria.
“Let senior lawyers allow the ethics of their profession, the interest of Nigeria and their good conscience to guide them when they accept briefs and are called upon to use their skills to pervert the cause of justice, as many now do.”
Meanwhile, Mohammed Fawehinmi, son of the late legal icon, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, advocated death penalty for corrupt persons.
He said: “Once there is evidence, there is no point granting corrupt people bail. Keep them under lock and after the trial, execute them. Judges should stop relying on Section 36 for corruption matters.
“More than 4200 soldiers have been killed in the fight against insurgency; over five million people have been displaced.”
The Citizen with additional report from Nation
