By Emmanuel Udom
Lagos
July this year, Nigerian
president, Muhamadu Buhari raised an alarm over the slow management of
corruption cases by the judiciary in the country.
Buhari told the
judiciary point-blank that the delay in court cases and perceived corruption
within the judicial system was unacceptable to his government in particular and
entire Nigerians in general.
He wondered why
corruption cases filed by government’s anti-graft agencies are moving at
snail’s speed, where some corrupt lawyers are perceived to be frustrating the
various reforms in the judicial system.
But statistics available
at the public domain reveal that between 2007-2015, the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) dragged no fewer than 20 former governors in the
country linked with alleged corruption to various courts.
Some of these ex-governors
are: the late Audu Abubakar (Kogi), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Jolly Nyame (Taraba),
Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Timipreye
Sylva (Bayelsa) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).
Others include: Sule
Lamido (Jigawa), Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo), Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo), Chimaroke
Nnamani (Enugu), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Aliyu Akwe Doma (Nasarawa), Attahiru
Bafarawa (Sokoto), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa).
From 2007 till date, most
high profile cases were still pending at preliminary stages in various courts
across the federation. Recent records at the public domain from EFCC showed
that between the periods under review, Abuja has (24); Lagos (44); Kano (19);
Port Harcourt (22); Enugu (13) and Gombe (3).
Apart from the former governors, the likes of Babalola Borishade, former minister of aviation, Steve Oronsaye, former head of the civil service and Dangabar Esai, former director, police pension office have cases still pending before various courts.
Apart from the former governors, the likes of Babalola Borishade, former minister of aviation, Steve Oronsaye, former head of the civil service and Dangabar Esai, former director, police pension office have cases still pending before various courts.
Wilson Uwujaren, head,
media & publicity for EFCC in a press release issued October 12, 2016, told
the world that Esai for instance allegedly used fake names in connivance with
some corrupt bank officials to divert N24billion to various private accounts.
He named one Mustapha
Gadanya, a prosecution witness as the person that gave an insight into the
police pension scam deal gone soured.
Other persons implicated in the scam were: Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Veronica Ulonma
Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira, Uzoma Cyril Attang and Christian Madubuke.
Rotimi Jacobs, a senior advocate of Nigeria and counsel to the
anti-graft agency however told Justice
Hussein Yusuf Baba of the Federal High Court Abuja, October this year that Dangabar, the first defendant
even used the picture
of his son, identified as Maila Esai Dangabar to open an account with one of
the banks operating in Nigeria.
The words of Uwujaren: “The first defendant also deposited
N800million in the account of Marine
Logistics and Leisure Integrated Services Limited at Skye Bank Plc.”
Nine years after his
case was stalled in September this year, EFCC re-arrested Orji Uzor Kalu,
former governor of Abia state and his former aide, identified as Jones Udeogo.
Kalu, Udeogo and Slok
Nigeria Limited were arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja before
Justice Adamu Bello on an amended 34-count charge of allegedly diverting
N3.2billion from the treasuries of the state government when he was governor of
Abia state.
Prior to their arraignment, the former governor argued against the
proceedings of the court and appealed that it should await the pending appeal
by Slok pending at the Supreme Court.
Justice Anwuri Chikere however rejected his appeal and ordered that the charges be read to them, where they pleaded not guilty and the court granted them bail on the terms attached to the bail earlier granted them on April 30, 2008 when they were earlier arraigned before Justice Bello.
Justice Anwuri Chikere however rejected his appeal and ordered that the charges be read to them, where they pleaded not guilty and the court granted them bail on the terms attached to the bail earlier granted them on April 30, 2008 when they were earlier arraigned before Justice Bello.
But, the court adjourned
the case to l December 6, 2016 for the commencement of trial.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emmanuel Udom is editor: www.vicnuel.blogspot.com.ng. He
is also senior correspondent, metro desk for Independent newspaper: www.independentnig.com.
Udom could be reached on: eeudom@yahoo.com/eeudom@gmal.com
or 2348027066807
No comments:
Post a Comment