…..the need to invoke 1979 law to fight corruption
Indication has shown that more judges as well as serving ministers are being investigated by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The new set of judges and some serving ministers whose activities are currently being investigation may be arrested in coming weeks.
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution and Chairman Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono Obla stated these yesterday in Abuja.
“I want to arrest one minister in this government in the next few days and I want to arrest judges, so in the next few days you will hear and I don’t care, as long as they have not given me an order not to arrest anybody, I will arrest whoever has short-changed the Nigerian people,” Obla said.
He also revealed that Nigerians allegedly involved in Panama papers, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other public interest cases will be prosecuted.
“$48billion has been invested in NDDC, if the money was judiciously used, some of the problems in the region would have been solved, but the money has gone down the drain,” he stated.
Obla who held a strategy meeting with the #SayNo Campaign team also revealed that public official who held office from 30th September 1979 till date will be prosecuted under the law.
“The has been in existence for almost 40years, but successive administration do not have the will to fight corruption, if that law was used, corruption would have reduced drastically because the law is somehow draconian. The law says if you lie about your assets, it’s 21 years imprisonment and if you have assets that is more than you earnings, it is life imprisonment.” he added.
According to Obla, the anti-corruption agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been compromised.
He noted that his new assignment was meant to focus on public sector corruption, so as to ensure expected results in the fight against corruption.
“I have been asked to focus on public sector corruption which is the endemic one. The then Acting President told me that it is our last card because we are not really getting results,” he said.
He explained further that operations of the EFCC needs to be monitored very closely as some corrupt individuals are not being listed for prosecution.
“I recently received a list of cases to be prosecuted by the EFCC, including past government officials, and I was surprised that former governor of Cross River state Liyel Imoke was not included. I personally wrote a 21-page petition to the EFCC against Imoke and I was at the commission to substantiate my allegations, so we need to know what is happening with EFCC,” he said.
LEADERSHIP.