- Human rights won’t stop anti-corruption war, says Lai Mohammed
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, docked the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, before an Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama, on a two-count charge bordering on his alleged destruction of evidence against him.
Metuh who pleaded not guilty to the charge, was again brought to court in handcuffs by prison officials.
EFCC told the court that the PDP spokesman who is also facing another seven-count criminal charge before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, tore and attempted to chew a confessional statement he made under caution while undergoing interrogation.
The anti-graft agency maintained that the said statement would have been vital to its prosecution of the criminal case pending against Metuh before the Federal High Court.
It said that Metuh, by his action, committed an offence contrary to sections 166 and 326 of the Penal Code Act. Meantime, Justice Ishaq Bello has adjourned hearing on Metuh’s bail application till Monday.
The Judge however queried why the EFCC failed to incorporate the current charge to the one already pending before the FHC. It will be recalled that Justice Abang had on Tuesday, granted Metuh bail to the tune of N400million.
The court however ordered that he should be remanded at Kuje Prison pending when he is able to perfect all the bail conditions.
In the meantime, The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday, that corrupt politicians under probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have no moral authority to claim their rights were denied when their alleged actions eroded other people’s rights and led to countless deaths and suffering.
Mohammed said it was absurd that after stealing the country blind, some corrupt politicians were busy claiming their rights were infringed on.
The minister said this during a visit to the Women FM 91.7 radio station in Arepo, Ogun State, on Thursday. He said human rights claims would not stop President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war, adding that the Federal Government was not selective in its anti-corruption war as being claimed because it was only logical that the Peoples Democratic Party which was in power for 16 years should be the focus of the corruption probes.
Using a Yoruba proverb to justify his position, Mohammed said, “ Eni ti o ba ni iyawo, ana e o le ku.” This simply means that an unmarried man cannot claim to lose an in-law.
He said, “The Federal Government is being criticised for infringing on human rights. This is not true. People who have stolen billions of naira have no moral authority to be claiming human rights when their theft left to the infringements of other people’s rights, deaths and suffering. We want Nigerians to weigh the matter.
Fifty five Nigerians stole over N1.34tn in eight years. Should we now jettison the rights of 170 million Nigerians whose rights have been tampered with because of these few people who have stolen the country blind?
“When we start talking about human rights, we need to put the issue in the right perspectives. The granting of bail is at the discretion of the court of law and when there is a tendency that someone is likely to jump bail, such a right may be declined.”
Speaking on the report that two versions of the 2016 budget were presented to the National Assembly, Mohammed said the row was caused by ‘communication gap’ between the Presidency and the National Assembly. He listed poor funding as one of the factors hindering the EFCC in prosecuting high-profile corruption cases.
He added, “While it takes just little time to prosecute an average offender, it takes seven years to prosecute a high-profile person for corruption charges. This is because the corrupt leaders can afford to hire the smartest lawyers which even the EFCC cannot afford to hire. Finance is crippling the operations of the anti-graft commission.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of WFM, Dr. Babatunde Okewale, hailed the Federal Government’s anti-corruption war, adding that it was unfortunate that women and children were the major victims of the public treasury looting.
“We would like the Ministry of Information to revamp the National Orientation Agency to help restore our cultural values and stop harmful cultural practices affecting women and the girl child,” he said.
Punch with additional report from The Citizen
