The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief
Okoi Obono-Obla, has told the Acting Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, to act on the order
given by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), warning that there will be
“consequences for insubordination.”
The AGF had ordered the EFCC boss to forward to him the case
files of ex-governors, including Bukola Saraki (Kwara, now Senate
President ); Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa
Ibom); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Achike Udenwa
(Imo); Ubong Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom); Jolly Nyame (Taraba);
Rasheed Ladoja (Oyo); Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo); Joshua Dariye
(Plateau ); Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara ); and Gabriel Suswam (Benue),
among others.
The EFCC boss had allegedly withheld the files from the AGF
since July 2016 when the request was first made.
The follow-up request was made on August 1, 2017.
Obono-Obla told one of our correspondents that the August 1
letter to the EFCC was a follow-up request on the files of indicted
former governors and senators, warning Magu that there would be
“consequences for insubordination.”
Obono-Obla said the EFCC was not more patriotic than the office
of the AGF, adding that the commission must involve the minister in
any case that is above N50m.
He said, “A letter dated August 1, 2017, was written to the
EFCC, urging the commission to comply with the EFCC Enforcement
Regulation that was made in 2010. The regulation requires that in
any case above N50m, the EFCC must carry along the office of the
AGF from investigation to prosecution.
“The letter was about the case files because if the cases are
not well prepared, the office of the AGF will be blamed for it. So,
the office wants to carry out its oversight function. The EFCC
cannot be more patriotic than the office of the AGF. Why is it that
the EFCC is not cooperating when we are working for the same
government?
“If the EFCC refuses to act on the letter, there will be
consequences on acts of indiscipline and insubordination. There is
no personality clash between the two heads. It is wrong to say that
there is a clash. The EFCC is an institution and the office of the
AGF is another institution. What we need is compliance. We should
not personalise our institutions.”
However, Malami on Thursday said there was no rift between him
and Magu, over his request.
The AGF, who held a press briefing on the maiden National Summit
on Justice scheduled for the second week of August, was asked to
comment on whether Magu’s alleged refusal to forward the case files
to the AGF office had affected their relationship.
Malami said, “It has not; thank you.”
Earlier, the AGF said, “I am not going to comment over a news
item I have not watched.”
But the EFCC said that there was no conflict whatsoever between
it and the Office of the AGF.
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson
Uwujaren, attributed reports of the clash between commission and
the AGF to mischief makers in an e-mail on Thursday.
Uwujaren said the EFCC was adhering to stipulations of the law
and had no intention to be in conflict with the office of the AGF
over the request to forward “serious” cases to the office.
He said it was not tenable for the commission to have a conflict
or plan a showdown with the AGF or other government offices, adding
the operational responsibilities and activities of the commission
are within the confines of the law.
He said, “The EFCC has been consistent in its position that
there is absolutely no conflict with the AGF.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, the EFCC is compliant with all
the provisions of law and has no intention to stoke a
misunderstanding over any request from the Minister of
Justice.”
Uwujaren added that the conflict between the commission and the
AGF’s office only existed in the imagination of corrupt elements
out to create a nonexistent conflict to further their criminal
acts.
“Any such conflicts being paraded exist only in the fertile
imaginations of corrupt elements angling to knock heads together in
furtherance of their own pro-corruption agenda,” Wilson said.
Meanwhile, the justice ministry has explained that the national
summit on justice would bring together all stakeholders in the
sector.
According to Malami, the stakeholders would consider, adopt and
validate the draft National Policy on Justice developed by a
technical committee constituted by the Federal Ministry of Justice
in 2016.
“Given the challenges militating against an effective
administration of justice and the peculiarity of our federal
system, there is the need to harmonise and integrate the various
reform initiatives into a clearly articulated national justice
policy,” he said.
He explained that the policy would define Nigeria’s political
philosophy with respect to justice delivery.
The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief
Okoi Obono-Obla, has told the Acting Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, to act on the order
given by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), warning that there will be
“consequences for insubordination.”
The AGF had ordered the EFCC boss to forward to him the case
files of ex-governors, including Bukola Saraki (Kwara, now Senate
President ); Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa
Ibom); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Achike Udenwa
(Imo); Ubong Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom); Jolly Nyame (Taraba);
Rasheed Ladoja (Oyo); Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo); Joshua Dariye
(Plateau ); Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara ); and Gabriel Suswam (Benue),
among others.
The EFCC boss had allegedly withheld the files from the AGF
since July 2016 when the request was first made.
The follow-up request was made on August 1, 2017.
Obono-Obla told one of our correspondents that the August 1
letter to the EFCC was a follow-up request on the files of indicted
former governors and senators, warning Magu that there would be
“consequences for insubordination.”
Obono-Obla said the EFCC was not more patriotic than the office
of the AGF, adding that the commission must involve the minister in
any case that is above N50m.
He said, “A letter dated August 1, 2017, was written to the
EFCC, urging the commission to comply with the EFCC Enforcement
Regulation that was made in 2010. The regulation requires that in
any case above N50m, the EFCC must carry along the office of the
AGF from investigation to prosecution.
“The letter was about the case files because if the cases are
not well prepared, the office of the AGF will be blamed for it. So,
the office wants to carry out its oversight function. The EFCC
cannot be more patriotic than the office of the AGF. Why is it that
the EFCC is not cooperating when we are working for the same
government?
“If the EFCC refuses to act on the letter, there will be
consequences on acts of indiscipline and insubordination. There is
no personality clash between the two heads. It is wrong to say that
there is a clash. The EFCC is an institution and the office of the
AGF is another institution. What we need is compliance. We should
not personalise our institutions.”
However, Malami on Thursday said there was no rift between him
and Magu, over his request.
The AGF, who held a press briefing on the maiden National Summit
on Justice scheduled for the second week of August, was asked to
comment on whether Magu’s alleged refusal to forward the case files
to the AGF office had affected their relationship.
Malami said, “It has not; thank you.”
Earlier, the AGF said, “I am not going to comment over a news
item I have not watched.”
But the EFCC said that there was no conflict whatsoever between
it and the Office of the AGF.
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson
Uwujaren, attributed reports of the clash between commission and
the AGF to mischief makers in an e-mail on Thursday.
Uwujaren said the EFCC was adhering to stipulations of the law
and had no intention to be in conflict with the office of the AGF
over the request to forward “serious” cases to the office.
He said it was not tenable for the commission to have a conflict
or plan a showdown with the AGF or other government offices, adding
the operational responsibilities and activities of the commission
are within the confines of the law.
He said, “The EFCC has been consistent in its position that
there is absolutely no conflict with the AGF.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, the EFCC is compliant with all
the provisions of law and has no intention to stoke a
misunderstanding over any request from the Minister of
Justice.”
Uwujaren added that the conflict between the commission and the
AGF’s office only existed in the imagination of corrupt elements
out to create a nonexistent conflict to further their criminal
acts.
“Any such conflicts being paraded exist only in the fertile
imaginations of corrupt elements angling to knock heads together in
furtherance of their own pro-corruption agenda,” Wilson said.
Meanwhile, the justice ministry has explained that the national
summit on justice would bring together all stakeholders in the
sector.
According to Malami, the stakeholders would consider, adopt and
validate the draft National Policy on Justice developed by a
technical committee constituted by the Federal Ministry of Justice
in 2016.
“Given the challenges militating against an effective
administration of justice and the peculiarity of our federal
system, there is the need to harmonise and integrate the various
reform initiatives into a clearly articulated national justice
policy,” he said.
He explained that the policy would define Nigeria’s political
philosophy with respect to justice delivery.
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/govssenators-files-magu-must-act-on-agfs-letter-presidency-insists/