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EFCC dismisses 2 staff over alleged corruption
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, on Monday, said two of the agency’s staff members were, recently, dismissed over allegation of corruption.
Olukoyede disclosed this during the opening of the 6th Annual Criminal Law Review Conference organised by the Rule of Law Development Foundation in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 5-day event is titled: “Optimising the Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria: How to Navigate Emerging and Systemic Challenges of Insecurity and Economic Hardship.”
The EFCC chairman, who said the two officials were dismissed two week ago, said besides dismissal, erring workers would also be prosecuted henceforth.
“So many other reforms are going on; the issue of our staff and all of that.
“Just two weeks ago, I have cause to dismiss two staff. You can’t be fighting corruption and your hands are dirty.
“He who comes to equity, your hands must also be cleaned. .
“And I say I will not only be dismissing them, I will also be prosecuting them because that is what we prosecute others for.
“So you will see that; we are preparing the case files of some of the people we have dismissed.
“If an EFCC staff will not be able to stand publicly with his two hands up and challenge the entire public; whose goat have I collected? Whose bottle of water have I taken illegitimately?
“And I have said this to Nigerians; who has ever given me one kobo in the course of my work, come out and say it. I stand to be challenged.
“I can’t be easily influenced by things like that. That’s why we must make up our minds to work together to do the right thing.
“Any staff that is corrupt, I will show you the way out.
“Again, there are some people who may want to be overzealous. Out of 12, you must have Judas.
“I can’t stand here and say all is perfect. As many as you see, report them to us and we will do justice,” he said.
Olukoyede said even he was once subjected to investigation for two years as EFCC secretary.
“I am not just sitting there as chairman of EFCC. I have been on the other side.
“I have been subjected to investigation myself for two years. So I know what it means to subject people to investigations.
“My major objective is to use the instrumentality of this mandate to stimulate the economy and to also follow the rule of law,” he said.
He said integrity is needed to survive, even as legal practitioners.
“Integrity is not about law, it is not about your advocacy ability to write beautiful briefs. No.
“It is about law and morality. Your conscience must tell you to do the right thing. That is what integrity is all about.
“Finally, ethics, value and standard of legal practice must also be reviewed.
“These are essential to me because the job of EFCC is to ensure that corruption does not find space in our national life,” he said.
Olukoyede said he welcomed constructive criticism of the agency.
“I have never been averse to that. But let us do it in a responsible way. What do we benefit from running down our institutions?” he asked.
According to him, if you notice EFCC is doing anything wrong, come to us.
“We will sit down and I will explain some reformed agenda we are carrying out.
“Upon my resumption of office, we have put some reformed agenda in place.
“We have reviewed our arrest and detention policy. I have had cause to investigate a whole ministry; minister, directors and all of that without detaining anybody over night.
“And I got all the information I needed and the matter is going on fine without detaining a single soul.
“But that does not preclude that if there is the need to detain, we do not detain.
“We have also had cause to equip all our interrogation rooms in compliance with judgment of court.
“Also, I need to let you know that the era of a 100-count charge, 150-count charge, 85-count charge is gone forever in EFCC,” he said.
Olukoyede said he had given a standing directive that no prosecution should be more than a 15-count charge.
“If your case is water tight…, that is why I will never rush to court until I am sure of my proof of evidence.
“I vet case files myself, particularly high-profile cases and the lawyer must give me a draft of the charge.
“We will look at it together, compared with my proof of evidence, sleep over it before I give my go-ahead.
“If we are losing a case, it shouldn’t be on grounds of lack of diligent prosecution.
“If there are other technical issues, fine. But I will be sure that I have done my job and it’s done in such a way that I can defend long after I leave office,” he said.
The Coordinator of the Rule of Law Development Foundation, Mr Joseph Daudu, said the Criminal Law Review Conference commenced 6 years ago as one of the flagship events of the foundation.
He said it was essentially to provide an annual forum for the review of all developments, particularly novel developments in the field of crime apprehension, crime prosecution, crime adjudication and the important activities of the post adjudicatory processes and institutions of the criminal justice system.(NAN)
Aides, Allies Disown Him, Say You’re a Traitor, We’re not Leaving PDP
Barely two weeks after his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), crisis has enveloped the political camp of a member of the House of Representatives for Obokun/Oriade federal constituency in Osun State, Oluwole Oke.
Indeed, these are not the best of times for him as his defection to the APC is eliciting rejection from his close circles and constituency.
His key allies who he groomed into politics and government positions have rejected his calls on them to join him to defect to the APC.
A source said that in the last few days, key aides and allies of the lawmaker have rejected his movement to the APC, describing it as a political tragedy.
“With the way he betrayed PDP, Oluwole Oke is like the proverbial Leopard that can never change the spots on its body. He will also betray the APC. We are staying back in PDP while severing political links with him”, one of his allies, Bamidele Johnson said.
Some of his allies were said to have openly declared that the defection marks a political waterloo for the 6th term legislator.
For instance, some of Oke’s allies in his Local Government scorned his move as “a decision borne out of greed and selfishness.”
One of them described him as “an ingrate who betrayed a party on whose platform he got married in life as a lawmaker and on whose platform he gained all his material riches.”
The Northern Youths Consultative Forum for Justice (NYCJ) has urged Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State, citing a complete breakdown of governance, law, and order.
In a statement issued on Monday in Kano, NYCJ President Dr Sanusi Rano described the situation in Zamfara as “organised abandonment of duty” by elected officials.
“What we are witnessing in Zamfara is not governance. It is betrayal of the people,” Rano said, pointing to the absence of a functional state House of Assembly and allegations linking officials to criminal activities.
The group highlighted the suspension of 10 lawmakers who spoke out against the deteriorating security situation, arguing that their removal has left Zamfara without a legally recognised legislative body.
“This is a dictatorship of silence,” said Rano, adding that the lack of checks and balances has deepened the state’s crisis.
“The same hands that should protect Zamfara are profiting from its destruction,” Rano stated.
Calling for decisive action, the group demanded the appointment of a non-partisan administrator to rebuild the state’s institutions.
“If this is not done now, Zamfara risks becoming a permanent state of anarchy, which threatens our democracy,” Rano warned.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday, sentenced the husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased ( his wife) on April 8, 2022.
The judge held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.
Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022 by the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge .
The charge was on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.
In the course of trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5 respectively.
The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.
The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing, the defendant, counsel , Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.
Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment in Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7 respectively. (NAN)