The presiding judge of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto division, Justice Muhammad Lawal, has urged Nigerian anti-graft agencies to prioritise going after the highly corrupt persons and not only the street or young fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo boys.”
This is as he noted that part of the problems facing fighting corruption in the country are judges.
“Part of the problem in the fight against graft in the country are judges. I have come across cases where judges give ex-parte orders to stop investigations. We have to be very careful in granting orders against anti-corruption agencies, as it amounts to ultra vires.
“Once you stop anti-corruption agencies from investigating, you are killing the anti-corruption fight and matter. There are preventive measures to expose corruption and related activities in the public interest,” Justice Lawal said.
This is even as he challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) to ensure inclusive prosecution of corrupt practices in the fight against graft in the country.
He shared his thoughts at the opening of a one-day conference with state Attorneys-General in the North-West on strengthening ICPC’s capacity for corruption prevention, held in Kano.
Justice Lawal specifically cautioned the anti-graft agencies to “go after bigger fish and not yahoo boys,” as the only way the fight against corruption could be firmly rooted.
He further argued that prosecution of graft must be deep and encompassing.
Speaking also at the event, the ICPC chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, explained that the conference, tagged “Establishing a Community of Practice for Attorneys-General,” aimed to draw support and collaboration from chief law officers of states in the North-West in the fight against corruption.
He revealed that the commission intended to leverage the strength of the Attorneys-General to find solutions to issues in the administration of the criminal justice system, as well as evaluating and improving the strengths and weaknesses of the agency.
On the position of Justice Lawal, the ICPC boss maintained that it was not difficult to go after the bigger fish if only the slow processes of the justice system in the country could be upscaled with the use of advanced technology.
“Today’s gathering is crucial as we bring together key stakeholders at the subnational level to discuss the need for a united front in the fight against corruption. Confronting corruption is critical to the prosperity of our nation—no country can thrive where corruption thrives.
“As stakeholders, we must continue to encourage the people of the North-West to resist bribery demands. As chairman of the ICPC, I am committed to ensuring that the commission uses its law enforcement powers and preventive measures, which include enlisting and fostering public support in combating corruption in Nigeria within the confines of the law,” Dr Aliyu said.