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DIKKO AND OBANIKORO: RETURN OF LOOTS, PLEA BARGAIN NOT DETERRENT ENOUGH AGAINST CORRUPT – CACOL

Following the return of N1bn to the Federal Government by the former Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, has once again reiterated its position on corruption criminals or suspects who opt for plea bargain and those that voluntarily return their loots. Mr. Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, who spoke on behalf of the Coalition said, “it is very imperative for Nigerians to understand the details of what constitute the ‘plea bargain’ being offered to some suspects of corruption or the ‘go and sin no more’ attitude which is apparently being applied as in Dikko and some other suspected corruption criminals’ cases.”
 
In recent developments, the former Comptroller-General was reported to have returned N1bn to the FG, just as a former Minister of State for Defense, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has signed an undertaking with the EFCC to return N480m as ‘ill-gotten gains’ under their watch while in office. The ex-custom boss has been under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC for diverting about N40bn during his administration as head of customs between August 2009 and August 2015, while Obanikoro’s case is about his alleged role in the diversion of N4.7bn from the imprest account of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
 
Adeniran, CACOL’s leader expressed dissatisfaction with the developments given the gravity of the crimes in question. He said “our Coalition has always insisted on punishing culprits of corruption to serve as deterrent to other corruption criminals and the potentially corrupt persons in the country. The non-application of punitive measures against persons guilty of corruption would make the whole anti-corruption war a huge joke, a waste of time, energy and resources.”
 
“We are aware that part of the conditions for plea bargain, given to accused persons, who are penitent, are forfeiting of properties and pleading guilty. We acknowledge the necessity to differentiate between penitent corruption criminals and recalcitrant ones, but we insist that the return of loots is not far-reaching enough if the war against corruption will achieve enduring success.”
 
“Our position is that, it is correct to treat those who admit their guilt voluntarily and those that make the state to expend resources energy and time before their conviction is achieved differently, we agree to that extent. But our position is that those that opt for plea bargain should nonetheless not be allowed to go scot-free; they should hence be stripped of all their properties and monies as well as honours that could have been bestowed on some of them – they should be made to start life anew. All of their material possessions should be deemed as proceeds of corruption and therefore confiscated by the state. Then they can be told to ‘go and sin no more’.”
 
Continuing, he said, “as for the recalcitrant ones of should of course be made to face the full constitutional and judicial consequences of their crimes. They should be put in jail according to size of their loots, even up to life imprisonment.”
CACOL is suggesting life imprisonment for convicts that stole any amount above 1 billion naira, and they should be made to work diligently for their own upkeep via whatever skills they possess previously or has been able to learn behind the bars. ‘’They should be used as objects to educate the young, the youth and all when they go on excursion to the prisons, seeing former corrupt leaders in such situation will certainly serve to deter the potentially corrupt. Furthermore, whatever assets traced to such convicts should be deemed to be proceeds of corruption and confiscated by the Nigerian state.’’ The Executive Chairman of the Coalition concluded.
 
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
November 4, 2016
 
 
 
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GOODLUCK JONATHAN’S RECENT COMMENTS: AN ATTEMPT TO SAVE HIS FACE AND MAR ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE – CACOL

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has expressed dismay at the former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan’s recent comments, saying he has suddenly found his voice after maintaining sealed lips for more than a year, even in the face of myriad of palpable accusations directed at the acute misgovernance that characterised his administration.
 
Recently in New York, at an award ceremony, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan stoked controversy when he said that the tenets of democracy and the rule of law were upheld during his tenure as president. He outlined his administration’s achievements with reference to ensuring freedom of speech and freedom after speech; empowering institutions while reducing government’s influences over them and enacting the Freedom of Information Act and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
 
In a reaction, CACOL, said through the Executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, that the former president’s attempt at doing a comparative analysis between his time in office and the current administration, is baseless, petty and pedestrian. “A crucial time like this when the country is in recession and Nigerians are going through a very harrowing experience, calls for sober reflections where leaders who are worth their salts ought to project what will positively steer the ship called Nigeria forward particularly by displaying sound understanding of the ongoing anti-corruption drive.”
 
The former President had at the award event asserted that his government could not be accused of nepotism, as according to him, there was no preference to tribe and ethnicity in the appointment of members of his cabinet and aides.
Adeniran continuing in his reaction said “the former president’s comments are not helping the current situation of the country but rather serving as a distraction from the unpleasant aftermaths of the his administration. What he is doing is creating precedents that would lead to his invitation for investigations on issues he has dabbled into by himself. However solid his comparisons are, it cannot be faulted that so much irregularities, tragedies and atrocities were perpetrated under his watch. Even if it is true that the former President gave institutions leeway, as he claims, it is obvious that he failed to exercise control over its officials and that is why there are issues of corruption affiliated to his administration.”
 
“We have read in the news about several allegations of money laundering and missing funds involving close aides to Jonathan during his time as president. Fresh in our minds is the Dasuki Gate scandal and in the light of recent revelations, there have been confessions from Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro that funds were released to Mr. Ayodele Fayose, the current governor of Ekiti State, to help finance his election into office.”
 
Adeniran continued, stating that Goodluck Jonathan cannot be objective enough in evaluating himself. “He would only be focused in branding his administration as competent and failing to address the irregularities that occurred. He should leave such comparison to those who are objective.”
 
“To us in CACOL, we see former president Jonathan’s comments as a way of saving his face in the light of the various corruption allegations linked to his aides, family members, wife and his defunct cabinet members. We also see this as a desperate attempt by an individual who is conscious of the reality that he has a lot of questions to answer for when it comes to the corrupt practices that reigned supreme under his watch. He has already put himself on ‘trial’! Nigerians are not fools.” Adeniran concluded
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
November 1, 2016
 
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CACOL LAUDS APPEAL COURT’S RULING ON SARAKI’S FALSE ASSETS DECLARATION CASES AT THE CCT

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has hailed the ruling of the Appeal Court in Abuja over the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to try the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki over fraudulent assets declaration. The panel of the appeal court led by Justice Abdul Aboki-affirmed the CCT’s jurisdiction, thereby dismissing the appeal filed by the embattled Senate President in a unanimous judgment.
 
Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said while applauding the judgment “we had said since the Saraki decided to approach the Appeal court for the second time that he was on trying to buy time and delay justice. In fact, with this ruling, damages should be awarded against him for abuse of the judicial system. This is because the earlier ruling of the appeal court had been validated in February by the Supreme Court, yet Mr. Senate President went back to the appeal court.”
 
From media reports, the issues put forward in the appeal were all resolved by the judgment including the affirmation of the earlier ruling of the Danladi Umar-led CCT which asserted the tribunal’s jurisdiction, and that under the Constitution, the CCTl was not under any obligation to invite appellants to enable them to make written admission of breaches in their asset declaration forms before charges could be brought against them.
 
Adeniran said, “with this development, we urge the Federal government to prosecute the cases with the CCT against Saraki with utmost diligence given his very apparent penchant for slipperiness, this his dancing in circles from CCT to Appeal court, Supreme court and back to the appeal court is a perfect example.
 
“However, it is a loathed fact that we would have a Senate President who would eventually be spending more time in a courtroom than in the National Assembly. In other climes where the principles of the constitutions are upheld and the issues of morality are taken seriously, the Senate President would have been required to vacate his post instantly in order for him to clear his name. This act would definitely create a trend to be emulated in our polity”
 
“The assets declaration breaches allegedly perpetrated by the Senate President is no small offence and little wonder why he sought to seek a dismissal of the case in the Appeal Court even after a clear verdict had been previously reached. This trip to the Appeal Court was an unnecessary distraction to the subject matter and it laudable that the judiciary used these events to affirm its watchdog role in the constitution.” Adeniran
 
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
 October 27, 2016
 
 
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DASUKI-GATE: EX-PRESIDENT JONATHAN’S STATEMENT UNEXPECTED OF A STATESMAN; IT SIGNIFIES HE IS PREPARING GROUND FOR HIS DEFENSE – CACOL

The immediate past president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is once again in the news after he made comments at the Oxford Union in the United Kingdom where he gave a lecture on Youth Entrepreneurship and chose that medium to give his opinion on the trial of the former National Security Adviser, NSA, during his tenure.
 
The former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC for alleged diversion of funds meant for procurement of arms totaling about $2.1bn. Goodluck Jonathan who had been mute on the case since the arrest and consequent detention of the former NSA, was reported to have stated that, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd,), did not steal $2.1bn contrary to the charges against him.
 
The Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Mr. Debo Adeniran, said in reaction to the comments of Jonathan that, it was a way of preparing for his own defense when he is eventually called to question about his roles as the President when corruption reached the most monumental proportions in the history of the country.
 
“I am not surprised that the former President made such a statement because he has always demonstrated his ignorance of how much malfeasance took place under his watch. He was the chief accounting officer of that regime and believed that all fingers are pointing in his direction, because most of those that have confessed to sharing in the loot have mentioned one way or the other that he (Jonathan) gave approval for the money they expended, the latest of which is Obanikoro and Fani-Kayode.”
 
“He knew that eventually, it will get to him, that was why he was saying that it was not possible for Dasuki to steal $2.1bn, even when he saw people moving more than $9m to South Africa under a non-conventional guise for buying arms and he saw the revelations that even some of his ministers went away with more than $20bn.”
 
The former President had in his comments contended that the allegations that $2.1bn was stolen by the ex-NSA were not true, arguing that warships, aircrafts and a lot of equipment for the military were bought during his administration.
 
Adeniran speaking further on the issue said “it very unfortunate that a former President of this country can denigrate his Statesmanship status by this attempt to toy with the national intelligence and sensibilities of Nigerians. Is he taking Nigerians as ‘fools’?”
 
“Most discerning Nigerians knew since the episode of the arms deal scandal broke out that it was going to come to this and that a lot of illogical explanations and cunning justifications would be thrown up in the desperate moves to escape justice. This was why CACOL advised Jonathan the last time he spoke on corruption cases in the country stating that it was not yet time to talk, we told him to ‘speak up or forever hold his peace’. This a man that have had ample opportunities long before now to help the anti-corruption drive he couldn’t prosecute by supplying vital information on the looting under his watch by speaking up. A man, who had tried to protect his ministers who are corruption suspects by insinuating that some of them would be witch-hunted after his defeat in the last election, certainly knew the heat of the anti-corruption war would get to him. It was just going to be a matter of time; basically, a drowning man clutches any available straw for survival.”
 
Adeniran concluded that the former President ought to know better than to make such statements on a case that has led to so many revelations and already in the courts including the ECOWAS Court. He said, “The former President did not exhibit the character of a Statesman with such statements. What he has done is to make himself more susceptible to questions connected to the Dasuki-Gate and other corrupt practices like the Diezani Madueke, Abba Moro, Stella Oduah etc. cases that happened during his tenure.”
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 26, 2016
 
 
 
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CHIBOK GIRLS: ATACK CONDEMNS EZEKWESILI, HADIZA BUHARI FOR ALTERCATIONS OVER FRANCHISE, SAYS IT’S INSENSITIVE

The Action Team Against Conscription and Kidnap, ATACK, a developmental, human-rights, non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Nigeria has condemned the unwarranted claims to the franchise of the collective efforts of Nigeria as a country and Nigerians as a people to rescue or ensure the release of over 260 young girls abducted at Chibok, Bornu state in 2014.
 
The organization, while apparently referring to the recent media reports over the dust raised between former Minister, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, BBOG and Hadiza Buhari-Bello, of Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, concerning the use of the name ‘Bring Back Our Girls’. Reports have that the BBOG accused Hadiza Buhari-Bello of trying to hijack the Bring Back Our Girls franchise from their organisation.
 
The National Coordinator of ATACK, Mr. Debo Adeniran said “those groups engaging in unnecessary altercations over franchise even when the battle against insurgency is still fiercely ongoing, with close to 197 girls still in captivity only show their shallow level of their sensibility to the seriousness of the trauma Nigeria and Nigerians especially the victims have passed through over the whole episode. The development apparently points to a conclusion that reveals they are attention seekers and or might have other mercantilist agenda being hidden from the public.”
 
Continuing Mr. Adeniran, “nobody or any organization has the sole right to claim glory or franchise over any of the Chibok girls, none of the organization went into the Sambisa forest in ensuring the rescuing of these girls. The interest should fundamentally be for Nigeria to be totally free of abduction, conscriptions and kidnaps. These shenanigans must stop! The truth is that kidnappings, abductions, conscriptions etc. occur incessantly across the country and increasingly on daily basis, but then the attention seekers pay no attention.”
 
“As an organization, since 2014, ATACK had dedicated every Thursday of the week to do campaigns and other symbolic actions on issues of kidnapping, abductions and conscriptions to draw the attention of the government and public to daily worsening situation in the country as far as those heinous crimes against humanity are concerned.”
 
In concluding Adeniran said, “it is also important to put into considering the experience the released girls had been forced to pass before now. The government must take responsibility for their rehabilitation by helping them to overcome the trauma they have been through.”

“We commend the Nigerian Military, particularly the gallant troops who are the real heroes in the successes achieved so far since the Boko Haram insurgents began their terrorist acts in the North Eastern part of the country. We call on government not to relent in its efforts to ensure that all Nigerians are under abduction, kidnapping etc. are rescued and re-united with their families.”
 
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator,
The Humanity Centre
for: ATACK
08141121208
atack2015@yahoo.com
October 26, 2016
 
 
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PROPOSED NATIONAL JUDICIAL POLICY IS ANTI-DEMOCRATIC; IT WILL AID CORRUPT PRACTICES IN THE JUDICIARY – CACOL

The judiciary and suspected corrupt and sharp practices within that Arm of government has been in central focus lately, following the recent arrest of some suspected corrupt judges by men of the Department of State Security services. This development have dragged along with it, the National Judicial Council, NJC, the body empowered constitutionally to handles issues of discipline and misconducts in the country’s judiciary in the scenario.
 
Reacting to the steps the NJC has taken thus far in either defending itself and members or in what the body is trying to do in purging the judiciary of corrupt practices; the Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL said “we are yet to take the NJC serious, especially when the seriousness required to be directed toward fighting corruption in the country as a whole and in particular, the judiciary is considered. This is given the grievous consequences of allowing corruption to fester in the Arm of government regularly considered as the ‘last hope of the people’.”
 
One the steps NJC intend to take according to recent media reports, is to launch what it calls the ‘National Judicial Policy’. This policy states that the Council and any other judicial institutions is allowed to discard any complaints against a judge or employee of the judiciary for investigation if after receiving the complaint it is leaked or discussed in the media. The policy targeted at empowering the judiciary on complaints having to do with allegations of misconduct against judicial officers or employees of the judiciary not to be leaked or published in the media.

“First of all, looking at the aspect of the policy that is clearly designed to gag the Media and Nigerians at large, it betrays the dishonesty in the policy itself as an anti-democratic proposal that is extremely unconstitutional and disgraceful. For why would the judiciary chose to ‘kill’ the Freedom of Information Act on the pedestal of shielding corruption? It validates the allegations and asserts from the different quarters that the judiciary is well soaked in corruption.”
 
“Those who commit offenses in government institutions do so against the State and the country, hence, whatever petitions or allegations that are made should remain in the public eye as this would make sure that due processes are adhered to.”
 
Adeniran further said “therefore we say no to the ‘pro-corruption’ policy being proposed by the NJC, disgraceful that a so sacred Arm of government is tricking to use every trick in the bag to shield suspected criminal judges when clearly the logical thing is to suspend them till their innocence is established.  If the policy is allowed to operate, it would give access for so many irregularities to be perpetrated.”
 
“The judiciary is established to protect the constitution, why will it now come up with a policy that stripes the Media and the generality of Nigerians of their rights to Freedom of Information which it ought to protect? Why is it now that the judiciary is saying it just procured the right to suspend erring judges after it suffered its self-earned public embarrassment?”
 
“Transparency and accountability are basic ingredients of governance wherever true democratic ethos is imbibed and imbued, the judiciary should come out clean; subjective itself to lawful and constitutional provisions to clearly command the respect it deserves rather than this apparent hypocrisy. The proposed ‘National Judicial Policy’ is anti-democratic; it will aid corrupt practices in the judiciary.” Mr. Adeniran concluded
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
 October 25, 2016
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NBA’s CALL FOR THE SUSPENSION OF SUSPECTED CORRUPT JUDGES; A GOOD SIGNAL FOR ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE – CACOL

Recently, the Judiciary has come under scathing public criticisms sequel to the allegations and counter-allegations over corruption crimes perpetrated by some Judges. The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL had in its initial response to the hue and cry over the arrest of the suspected corrupt judges said that there was need for circumspection in approaching the arrest of the suspected corrupt Judges in order be able to do an objective analysis of the whole situation beyond distractions, while insisting that judges were not above the law.

 
The Coalition also viewed the scenario from the point of dialecticism and as a window of opportunity to name and shame those of questionable characters who has persistently abused the sensibilities of the majority within the rank and files of the Bar and the Bench.
 
The Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran while responding to the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA’s latest position on the case of the suspected corrupt judges advising them to step aside from official judiciary functions pending the outcome of the already commenced judicial processes to establish the veracity of the allegations against them, said “we had told all aggrieved persons to submit to the constitution of the country by using every constitutional means to prove or disprove their innocence in all the allegations against them.”
 
“We thus welcome the latest suggestion from the NBA to the suspected judges as it falls in line with the advice we gave to all those alleged to have committed corruption crimes in the positions as Judges in the country’s ‘Temple of Justice’. We commend the NBA for the courage to allow logic to guide the situation before us a country as it concerns the obvious sharp practices that has been going on, and still subsisting in the Judiciary.”    
 
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Abubakar Mahmud (SAN), who had been overtly critical of the Department of State Security, DSS’s arrest of some suspected corrupt judges in a recent statement, recommended that the National Judicial Council, NJC should suspend some serving judges.
Adeniran said that this is a different position from the one the NBA previously took, “they had condemned the DSS for the raid and arrest of the suspected judges and described it as blatant disregard for due process and against the rule of law. It is a good signal that the NBA has finally come to realize the logical need for the suspension of the affected judges.”
 
In concluding, the CACOL Chairman regretted that so much time had been spent in attacking the DSS, which he said was unnecessary as it served only as a distraction from the real subject of contention. He averred that “whatever positions the National Judicial Commission, NJC and the NBA takes on the issue of suspension of alleged corrupt judges, would tell us if the judiciary is on the side of the masses or on the side of protecting their own in the light of corruption allegations against its members.”
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 21, 2016
 
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ON THE COUNTER-ALLEGATIONS BY JUSTICES JOHN OKORO AND NGWUTA

The counter-allegations of suspected corruption crimes being shoved down the minds of the people following the recent ‘can of worms’ opened by the arrest of some judges based on suspected corrupt practices are fundamentally designed to distract attention from the real issues. Without mincing words, it validates the position that indeed, sharp practices of humongous dimensions have been and apparently continues to be perpetrated in the Nigerian ‘Temple of Justice’.

 
The counter-allegations being put forward by Justice John Okoro for instance, betrays the reality that the existence of corruption in the judiciary is deep-seated and had been sort of institutionalized. Okoro who was one of those arrested by the DSS operatives, accused the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, a former Rivers State Governor, of asking him to influence the apex court’s decision on poll judgment in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states.
 
Assuming without conceding that Justice Okoro is right, the fundamental question to ask is – why did he wait till when he was arrested and charged with allegations of corruption to reveal that to the legally necessary quarters and the public as a honourable Judge well schooled in law and its applications?
 
And then do the counter-allegations erode the gravity of the corruption crimes the judges are being judicially made to answer for? Are the counter-allegations evidence-based? The DSS acted on an evidence-based operation, the right thinking Nigerian knows that if the DSS had not carried out the arrest of the suspected corrupt judges, Justices, like John Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta would have seen no evil, and heard no evil.
 
Let no frivolous counter-allegations from suspects of corruption in particular hinder the very important need to cleanse the judiciary of the cockroaches, rats and mosquitoes. Let elements that have allegations substantiate them with evidences in the law courts, in others words, nobody is above the law, and whoever the law pronounces culpable should face the constitutional consequences.
 
Nigeria must move forward, the attempt to use illogical distractions to solicit public sympathy over corruption crimes is not acceptable and will fail. On all suspected corruption criminals; we once again call on all the anti-graft and law enforcement agencies be diligent and thorough in their investigations and prosecutions, just as we emphasize the need for operating within the rule of law.
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
 October 21, 2016
 
 
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THOSE WHO MISMANAGED THE FUNDS MEANT FOR THE IDPs HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY – CACOL

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has condemned those who mismanaged the funds meant for the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs saying they have committed crimes against humanity and should be punished accordingly.
 
“It is worrisome that people can be so sadistic to the extent of milking people, who escaped from the throes of death. The truth is that those in the IDP camps could have been killed by Boko Haram members, but they barely escaped.” Said the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran when speaking on behalf of the anti-corruption coalition

“Those who mismanaged the funds meant for the IDPs have committed a crime against humanity. They should be treated like Boko Haram members. It is worrisome that people can be so sadistic to the extent of milking people, who escaped from the throes of death. As a matter of fact, those in the IDP camps could have been killed by Boko Haram members, but they barely escaped.”
“When one is left within the pangs and pains of hunger, starvation, sickness and misery, this is the most harrowing experience that one can have. Basically, the authorities should apprehend those behind this and those who are supposed to supervise the funds. They should be diligently tried and adequately punished. If they are not punished, others will think it is one of those things they can do and get away with. They should spend their days behind bars. It is wickedness of the highest order.”
 “The present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari is against corruption, this must not be limited but to all sectors in the country. In fact, if the IDPs camp is not corruption free, then the Government has giving a loop hole for the corrupt and shameless hungry leaders to make more money and put the lives of the IDPs at risk.” Added Mr. Adeniran
 
“It is the insecurity in the country that threw up IDPs in the first place; it is thus the responsibility of the Government to cater for their needs and ensure that any corrupt element does not frustrate the efforts geared towards giving the IDPs succor. Illness, malnutrition and death among the IDPs can be drastically reduced if the officials and persons involved in the supply of food and relief materials were not engaging in sharp practices. He concluded.
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 20, 2016 
 
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FAYOSE, OBANIKORO AND OTHERS MUST BE BROUGHT TO BOOK –CACOL

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders CACOL, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to be diligent and get focused on discharging their duties concerning the alleged corruption cases against the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musili Obanikoro, the Ekiti State Governor, Gov. Ayodele Fayose, the former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi FaniKayode, a General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi and Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewa (rtd).

 
The Executive Chairman of CACOL Mr. Debo Adeniran in reaction to the confusion being consciously created by these suspected corruption criminals over the allegations against them said ” they all need to explain and subject themselves to judicial proceedings to establish their innocence rather than ‘media defense’.
 
“Obanikoro has been alleged by the EFCC to have received the sum of N4.7bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser, through the head, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) in June, 2014. And he has admitted that he gave N2.3bn to the present Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose. Any right thinking Nigerian would ask the simplest of the questions – ‘why?’, and this is because the whole scenario smacks of corruption.”
 
“This entire media defense makes no sense at all considering the background that if one is innocent in relation to suspected corruption cases, there will be no reason to fear the EFCC or the justice system.” Adeniran added”
 
“EFCC must not get intimidated by cheap blackmail, the agency must work on all the somewhat difficult and recalcitrant suspects like Femi Fani Kayode and others; diligence in investigations and prosecutions are very vital in this regard and adherence with the rule of law. His tenure as the Minister of Aviation, must be thoroughly investigated and if found guilty of any sharp practice while in office, he must be prosecuted, regardless of the conscious attempt to distract the public from the crux of the allegations against him.”
 
“Gen. Patrick Akpobolokemi and Maj.Gen. Emmanuel Atewa (rtd) who were alleged to have siphoned N1.8bn from the coffers of NIMASA within two weeks in September 2014, and other similar cases in court must be pursed to logical and judicial conclusions. The era of using illogical reasons, cheap blackmail and propaganda to solicit public sympathy over heinous crimes like corrupt and sharp practices in order to escape justice must be put behind us a country and people.”
 
“We call on the EFCC not to relent in efforts to fight corruption in our country, and  to ensure that diligence, thoroughness and lawfulness are always deployed in its constitutional duties as an anti-graft agency.” Adeniran concluded
 
 
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
 
 
 
For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at