Click below to read September 30, 2016 Edition
CECURR CAUTION GOVERNMENT AGAINST USE OF FORCE IN HANDLING RELIGIOUS PROVOKED VIOLENT CLASHES
The Center for Cultural and Religious Rights (CECURR) has called for the dictates the Nigerian constitution to be adhered to every time in the country particularly when the rights to life, association, expression and assembly are concerned.
CECURR is a child of necessity borne of the need to bring succor for victims of religious and cultural persecution in any part of Nigeria. It is a non-religious organization of men and women of different religious background including atheists; it is non-sectarian, non-gender bias, gender- sensitive, non-profit making and non-governmental organization. Its activities cover all parts of the country; its work strategy centres on study, research, education, advocacy and enlightenment.
The group was reacting to the violence witnessed recently in Kaduna, Sokoto, Kano and some other states in the northern part of the country during the celebration of the birthday of grandson of Prophet Mohammed, PBUH by the Shite Islamic group.
CECURR through its National Coordinator, Mr. Debo Adeniran said, “It is a prerequisite in good governance practice to apply circumspection, wisdom in making decisions and executing plans in ways that will avoid committing mistakes of the past. That is the way to avoid doing things in the same old ways while expecting different results. It is significant for the government not regularly rely on ‘use of force’ while handling issues concerning ideological groups or movements such as the Shites’ and Boko Haram. Circumspection should always be applied as the ‘use of force’ has not successfully quelled the agitations of most ‘extremist’ groups in history. The ‘stick’ only approaches used in similar situations in the past only further conflagrated the crises like in the Boko Haram experience.”
“It is imperative to state that the Constitution of the country is supreme and guarantees the fundamental human rights of all and it defines confines within which the government must operate in handling scenarios that are violent or potentially so. In the same vein, groups and individuals must abide by the constitution and while enjoying their fundamental rights, people must not infringe on what constitute the rights of other persons.”
“The secularity of the Nigerian constitution need to asserted and enforced to reduce drastically religiously inspired crises which are often violent with attendant loss of lives and property. History had more or less provided chances to do things differently for better outcomes, but unfortunately current experiences have shown that we have learnt nothing from it.”
Adeniran continuing, said “last year, the reported clash between the military and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) which aggravated into the detention of their leader Sheikh El-Zakzaky, and the death of more than 300 Shiite Muslims by the military appear to be directed link recent clashes. The government must apply circumspection on this issue because of the international dimension to it given that the Shite group is directly linked with their mother movement in Iran. That the Iranian government has publicly declared its solidarity the IMN is explicit enough and it makes the issues both complex and delicate.”
“We condemn the jungle justice meted out to the members of Shite movement in the last episode of violence in the North as this will only worsen a situation that is terribly bad already. We call for a probe of the episode with a view of identifying the perpetrators of such dastardly act and bringing them to book. The government must deploy tact to avoid a possible situation where the country will be turned to a battle ground for proxy religious wars, and its actions must be within the ambit of the constitution of the country, international conventions and Statues.”
“We urge Nigerians regardless of religious, cultural or social inclinations to shun religious and cultural intolerance. We should also eschew violence and respect each others’ fundamental rights.” Adeniran concluded
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CECURR
08141121208
October 18, 2016
For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at
IT IS IMMORAL AND ILLOGICAL FOR SUSPECTED JUDGES TO SIT OVER CASES – CACOL
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL described the resumption to duty by two among the recently arrested suspected corrupt judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja as shameless and highly immoral. The judges after their release by Department of State Services, DSS, were reported to have resumed sitting on Monday.
The Executive Chairman of CACOL Mr. Debo Adeniran while reacting to this development said, “suspected corrupt judges such as Justice Adeniyi Ademola and Justice Nnamdi Dimgba should not be allowed to sit on any case until they proof their innocence on the allegations corrupt practices they have to answer. If there is some level of morality and care about ones’ self-esteem, then the judges ought to willingly volunteer to step aside pending when the judicial processes as they concern their charges are done with.”
“That is the path of honour, people with integrity are expected to tow in situations like this, particularly judges who understand the repercussions of having a corrupt sitting over cases. The Judiciary is the hope of the masses; the situation whereby that Arm of government cannot longer be trusted like we are witnessing currently in Nigeria can only lead to anarchy.”
”Continuing, Adeniran added, “With self-help as the only hope of the people and the judiciary will become like a lost bride with an attendant conflagration in corruption. The truth is that the suspected judges have lost their moral authority, and their professionalism is being challenged; therefore they should be suspended for the period their investigation and prosecution is ongoing. What the country stands to lose should their culpability be established on the long run far out-weighs what it may gain if they continue to sit over cases.”
“The country needs a judiciary of integrity and honour, one that is devoid of sharp practices and that will ensure free and fair judgments regardless who the parties involved are. The judiciary must be above board and to achieve these, the sector must rid its ranks and file of corrupt elements that join in perpetrating and perpetuating sharp practices within that Arm of government and the country as a whole.” Mr. Adeniran concluded.
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 18, 2016
For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at
‘CACOL CONGRATULATE PARENTS, FG; SAYS ‘NOT YET UHURU’ AS 21 CHIBOK GIRLS ARE RELEASED’
On Thursday, the Nigerian government announced that it had safely secured the release of 21 out of the over 200 girls abducted by the Boko Haram terrorist group at Chibok, Bornu state in April 2014. This news is a positive development to the biggest kidnap case in the history of the country in the view of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, and majority of Nigerians.
Amidst all the excitement over the return of some of the kidnapped girls; the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran said that Nigerians are still looking ahead on what could be done to secure the safe return of the over 190 girls still in captivity.
“For us it is too early to throw a party but we are not oblivious to the meaning of this event and how much significance it has in restoring joy and hope to the parents and Nigerians that have had to mourn over the abduction of the girls for more than two years now. Also, we are commending the government for seeking help from other countries like the International Red Cross and the Swiss government to help negotiate the release of the 21 Chibok girls yesterday.”
“This is in recognition of the fact that the fight against terrorism is a global fight and it requires concerted efforts from all relevant authorities to reduce and eliminate the possibilities of this tragedy occurring again under any clime.”
Continuing 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.”
Mr. Adeniran went to praise the Nigerian Military, particularly the gallant troops whom he described as 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.
“It’s actually a ‘bittersweet’ situation when we consider the fact that for over two years, because of the failure of government, the abducted girls were in custody and almost practically nothing was done concretely to rescue them. It even becomes more bitter when we witness how expedited the government acted on several occasions when high profile persons were the victims. An example is the recent kidnap of the wife of the Central Bank Governor. It took only a ‘twinkle of an eye’ for the VIP Nigerian to be released” He averred
“In Nigeria, kidnappings, abductions, rape and several criminal tendencies occur almost on daily basis in hundreds, but they do not get the deserved attention from government. We are asking that the government should also look into other reported cases of kidnaps and abductions with a view to treating them with the same determination with which it handles profile cases.”
Our commendation for government on the release is to encourage it to as soon as possible rescue the remaining Chibok girls, particularly in the face of the reality that the conspiracy theorists who tried to politicize the sad episode as a farce has been defeated. The government should thus not rest on its oars until the rest of the Chibok girls and all other victims of abduction and kidnap in captivity are rescued or released.”
“We hasten to warn the Federal government that whatever interventions it is going do in helping the released girls to recuperate and re-integrate back to the society must be devoid of sharp practices like the ones that have bedeviled the relief packages meant for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs. We recall that the parents of girls rescued earlier protested publicly on how funds meant for their wards were either siphoned or ‘disappeared’ by unscrupulous officials. Such must be allowed to happen again! Mr. Adeniran concluded
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 14, 2016
PLAN TO ARREST MORE SUSPECTED CORRUPT JUDGES IS LEGITIMATE; THE ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE MUST CONTINUE! – CACOL
In the past week, the arrest of suspected Judges by the Department of State Security, DSS has attracted views and counterviews of varying interests in the country. The heat on the suspected corrupt Judges is apparently being kept on as reports reaching the media suggest that the DSS will continue the crackdown on suspected corrupt Judges in the country.
According to the reports, the DSS is set to arrest three Supreme Court justices suspected of corrupt practices. This would bring the total number of judges in the apex court under investigations to five. Last week, Justices John Okoro and Sylvester Ngwatu were apprehended by the DSS in what it termed a ‘sting operation’ which has put the Service under criticisms. The justices were reported to have admitted to some corruption charges but for some people the subject of concern is the ‘stingness’ of the operation.
The National Judicial Council (NJC), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and other relevant legal bodies and institutions have all been critical about the arrest of corruption judges by the DSS.
But we, in the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, believes where criminal charges are involved a case like with the suspected judges, it becomes beyond the NJC because its powers are only administrative as provided for in the constitution. The NJC cannot therefore exercise total control in the discipline of corrupt judges, particularly when criminal charges are involved.
The NJC can dish out whatever punishment it likes to erring judges as a judicial body at certain levels, but the crimes allegedly perpetrated by the arrested judges were not administrative or acts of judicial misconducts, neither were they crimes against the NJC or any judicial body but crimes against the Nigerian people, country and state.
If we are to go by the logic of that the NJC could have handled these heinous crimes, we can as well argue that students that engage in crimes can also be punished by their school management rather than having them arrested by the security agencies and then punished by the law!
We call on Nigerians who have reservations on court decisions and suspicions of foul play by legal practitioners and judges not hesitate to submit their petitions to the anti-graft agencies as the war against corruption requires all hands on deck and also necessitate a thorough cleansing of the judiciary because of its importance to nation-building.
That is how to keep the heat on, on the plunderers of our commonwealth; we must collectively make the ‘kitchen hot’ to stave away cockroaches, rats and mosquitoes! Those pandering to corruption via this episode should reflect deeply with circumspection beyond political, ethnic, religious and other sundry sentiments. They should realize that the ‘democracy’ and ‘rule of law’ they are utilizing to shield thieves were achieved on the altar of struggle with Nigerians contributing their blood, sweat and self-comfort, and with several extraordinary steps within the process. This episode itself has revealed that another dangerous malady have encroached the psyche of some folks, such that supposed intellectuals have shamelessly suddenly forgotten the place of dialectic in societal development!
On the three Supreme Court justices suspected of corrupt practices for instance, media reports have it that the DSS has concrete evidences of the involvement of the justices in corruption practices. They were alleged to have jointly shared in bribe over a case. The DSS have recorded voices and videos of the justices and some of their fronts and relations that have been quizzed have made useful statements. The Service went ahead to insist that its agents did not just arrest some judges adding that it was the last leg of the investigative procedure.
The Service also insisted that it had petitions against the arrested judges and had been investigating them for over seven months! This is why it is important for aggrieved Nigerians to take advantage of the increasing momentum of the anti-corruption drive by bringing their complaints to the notice of the various security agencies via petitions. This is how we can help the anti-corruption drive rather denigrate it on the altar of selfish interests.
The hitherto kids’ glove attitude toward corruption must be discarded with. It is the sustaining of this attitude that breeds bare-face impunity, it gives room for corruption suspects to delay justice unduly or out rightly manipulate it perpetually in their favour in spite of plausible evidences.
This is why Mr. Godswin Orubebe who was recently convicted for false assets declaration can have the effrontery to proceed to the Appeal court seeking for ‘shelter’, because he knows that with the extant Nigerian judicial system, ‘camels can pass through the eye of the needle’! He knows he can always manipulate the system either to delay justice or to escape it.
We implore the Federal government not allow Orubebe’s tricks to dampen its zeal. The FG must ensure that the appeal is treated in an expedited way and with diligence in the prosecution of the case. It is time to speed up the momentum of the ‘wheels of progress’ of justice in the overall interest of national development. It is time to remake Nigeria and extricate all maladies imposed on us as a people by the incurably corrupt amongst us.
Debo Adeniran
Executive Chairman, CACOL
08037194969
October 13, 2016
WITHDRAWAL OF FORGERY CASE AGAINST SARAKI AND OTHERS; A NEGATIVE SIGNAL AND AN EMBARRASSMENT TO ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE – CACOL
The Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, at an interview session with the media, has reacted to the withdrawal of the forgery charges against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his Deputy by the Federal government. The move represents an embarrassment to the anti-corruption drive and its crusaders who have cheered the government on the crackdown on corrupt public officials and other persons found culpable in sharp practices thus far in the view of the foremost anti-corruption crusader.
Adeniran posited that there are political undertones to the forgery charges; he opined that if there were no political undertones to the forgery cases against Saraki and his deputy, then they should have been willing to prove their innocence judicially and they can in turn sue the government for defamation of character and other damages if found not-guilty.
“It leaves a lot of doubts in the minds of the majority in terms of what could happen to the pending corruption cases against Bukola Saraki with the withdrawal of the criminals charges bordering on forgery leveled against him by the Federal government. Most people expected the present government would do things differently and that the days of ‘nulle prosecute’ would be over where politically exposed persons indicted for corruption charges are concerned. It is indeed a negative signal.” He said
With regard to the DSS arrest of some suspected Judges, the CACOL Leader believes that this was one of the very strong reasons the people voted for the ‘change manifesto’ because it was expected for the Buhari administration to do things differently from the last administration.
“There is nobody that is above the law, even the President, his Deputy and governors’ immunity lapse when they leave office. There is absolutely no part of the constitution that bestows immunity from investigations, probes, arrests and prosecution on Judges! All the hue and cry from quarters only panders corruption at the end fundamentally. The DSS had explained that what it carried out was a ‘sting operation’, it means the operation was under-cover, discreet or clandestine, that is what people need to understand.”
On procedure, method and rule of law in relation to the arrest, Adeniran stated, “Section 149 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) permits the law enforcement agencies to employ the manner of approach they did to arrest those allegedly corrupt judges.”
He also noted that the worse scenario for democratic principles, norms and values is a situation whereby the judiciary cannot be relied upon to deliver justice. “There are no gains in a democracy that allow corruption to fester.” He affirmed
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 12, 2016
THE ATTEMPT TO DEIFY JUDGES OVER ARREST IS HYPOCRITICAL AND IT PANDERS CORRUPTION!
Preamble
A lot of hue and cry has followed the arrest of some Judges by the men of the Department of State Security Services, DSS, with several divergent opinions and views emerging ranging from the deep and circumspective approach to very shallow and illogical perspectives.
From outright condemnation to commendations, from some agreeing with the step taken by the Federal government through the DSS while having reservations about method/procedure to some being totally indifferent or seeing the whole scenario as another abracadabra show often orchestrated by the political class.
Without mincing words, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL unequivocally assert that there is 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.
All the hue and cry of anarchism, abuse of rule of law, discard of procedures, selective fight against corruption and co betray the reality that some Nigerians claim they want real change or like some say, revolution, yet they fail to realize that achieving change necessitates taking drastic steps.
This is based on the reality of the existence of a situation that has thrown up the need to take bold and daring steps to right the wrongs of the extant order. And unarguably, one of the things most Nigerians are united on is the fact that ‘corruption’ as a monstrous bane has impeded the development of the country for a long time. Arising from this, apparently, majority of Nigerians agree on the need to kill corruption before it kills the country!
We assert also that, there cannot be halfway measures and undue pampering of corruption suspects whether they are Judges, lawyers, Presidents, Governors, legislators or whatever, as long as they are Nigerians they are bound by the so-called ‘rule of law’ of the country.
It is either we want to collectively fight corruption and understand the consequences of confronting the monster or we do not! There is no doubt that the incurably corrupt elements reside in all the Arms of government and they perpetrate their sharp practices with bare-faced impunity, indeed corruption has been institutionalized in every aspect of the body polity.
It is within this ambit it becomes necessary to act in desperate and expedited manner, based on the desperate situation corruption have put our country into. The criticisms that have greeted the arrest of the suspected Judges can only help those who are hell-bent on sustaining the decadent status quo along with its inept champions and their underbellies. The vast majority of Nigerians that are the victims prefer that all suspected corruption criminals should be treated equally before the laws regardless of whoever is involved, to them Judges are not gods unlike some intend to impose on them.
THE ISSUES AND TISSUES
The loudest condemnations of the arrest of the suspected corrupt Judges have been from the angles of the ‘rule of law’ and procedures, while some have raised the question of civility in the manner the DSS used to carry out their operation.
Consequent upon the reality that had been and still confronting us as a country; they all pile up almost to naught if what the country stand to gain on the long run is put in central focus!
For one, the perpetrators of corruption have never considered the ‘rule of law’ before plunging the country into the subsisting catastrophe that we are in as a people. A culture of impunity has also been established alongside the foisting of corruption on National consciousness by these elements.
Those that are narrowing the arrest of the Judges down to legalism are not only been over-legalistic, they are hypocritical and probably beneficiaries of sharp practices. It is pathetic that people who studied law refuse to realize that the ‘law is an ass’ basically.
Talking about the Judiciary itself, CACOL believes the arrest of the suspected corrupt Judges does not represent an attack on that Arm of government by the Executive because we know that hitherto, sharp practices of unimaginable dimensions within the rank and file of the Bar and Bench had been perpetrated times without number.
Since 2007, CACOL has through petitions, protests and other legitimate means of agitating for the trial of some suspected corruption criminals but have been faced with frustrations of different kinds because of the antics and profile of the persons involved.
A few examples will suffice, former Governor James Ibori’s case for instance, members went on behalf of our Coalition to submit a petition to the trial Judge on his crimes and got attacked by thugs. They get exposed to the hazards in the task we had set for ourselves, but our members were attacked within the court premises when Ibori’s case came up in Kaduna in 2007.
We barely survived being kidnapped when we went to submit CACOL’s petition to the trial Judge, Mr. Justice Marcel Awokulehin in Asaba, Delta state, Ibori’s thugs who wore suits and pretended to be security agents stabbed our members in early 2010 when we went to protest against his giving Business Hallmark lecture on corruption in Lagos.
We did four different petitions to the National Judicial Council, NJC for the Council to apply disciplinary action against Awokulehin but practically nothing was done!
Dr. Peter Odili’s case is another example when we talk of corruption in the Judiciary. The former Governor of Rivers state got a perpetual injunction which forever froze his case till now. The EFCC began moves to swoop on Rivers state officials in late 2006 when it issued a report of investigation into the state’s finances in which it said over N100 billion was diverted during Odili’s two terms. The report contained allegations of large-scale fraud, conspiracy, conversion of public funds, foreign exchange malpractice, money laundering, stealing and abuse of oath of office against the former governor. To stave off impeding prosecution of officials, the then Rivers state Attorney General went to court and got a perpetual injunction in March 2007 restraining the EFCC from investigating the state government.
A year later, months after he had left office in May 2007, Odili himself went to court and asked to be made to benefit from the injunction and the court granted his prayers, making him perpetually immune from arrest, investigation or prosecution. The perpetual injunction awarded to Peter Odili effectively made him a ‘legal fugitive’. This is another case of unconstitutional ‘immunity’ orchestrated with the active connivance of the corrupt elements in the Judiciary!
The Joshua Dariye episode still lives; a former Governor of Plateau State, currently representing Plateau Central Senatorial Constituency in the National Assembly whom the EFCC, in 2007, preferred money laundering and charges bordering on the diversion of the Ecological funds against. Nine years after preferring the charges EFCC only recently re-opened its case before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu, Abuja.
All these were achieved hand in gloves with the corrupt elements in the Bar and the Bench.
As for lawyers, it is unfortunate that most Nigerians cannot differentiate between the conscientious lawyers and the incurably corrupt ones who are aiders and abettors of corruption. But the history of the anti-corruption fight have revealed severally a clear pattern where the corrupt elements loot as much as they can, and then get the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigerian, SAN or more who in turn coach and help the crook on how to escape justice at very astronomical charges that commensurate with the loot.
Mr. Rickey Tarfa, SAN is a shining example along this line. He paid a bribe to tune of N225, 000 into the account of a Lagos Federal High Court Judge; Justice Mohammed Yunusa to subvert justice in favour of suspects under prosecution by the EFCC. He practically hid two suspects of financial crimes in his Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and thereby willfully obstructed the arrest of the suspects. It was discovered later from a check by the EFCC carried out into the Access Bank account of Tarfa’s Law firm revealed that a sum of N225, 000 was sent to Justice Mohammed Yunusa’s Bank account, the presiding Judge on the matter, a transaction the Judge acknowledged with appreciation through a text message which said ‘Thank you, my senior advocate’.
Those that have been most alarmist and extremist on the arrest of the Judges are those that claim that the step is anarchic and signals a return to military rule. This is self deceiving and ridiculous because it fails in circumspection on the status of Nigeria as a country. It also fails to recognize that the reality that anarchy itself emanates from a social condition that breeds and grooms it.
And then, what constitutes the core ingredients of anarchy that are not already in existence in Nigeria? Can we truly say we are in a democracy ‘stricto senso’? Are we even agreed on the Constitution of the country? We do not advocate anarchy or the jettisoning the ‘rule of law’, but we know that in fighting corruption extraordinary measures would have to be applied to achieve success!
There is no cause for the exaggerated criticisms of the arrest of the Judges. Only the hypocrites among us would hide under the guise of the ‘rule of law’ to pander corruption. It is public knowledge that corruption criminals wriggle through the labyrinth of our criminal justice system to escape justice using the lacunae therein. This must be stopped!
The issue about the procedure is nothing but just that, – it is just an issue! The tissue is that suspects of corruption of monumental proportions has been arrested and should be made to face the implication of their actions within the ambit of the law beyond the pettiness being thrown up.
The ‘legalists’ among us ought to know that the DSS can also be sued if anyone feels dissatisfied with the arrest it carried out without necessarily heating up the polity with illogical and retrogressive rhetoric of ‘rule of law’. Let the aggrieved go to court, that is the only way that is CIVIL!
The DSS has explained that what it did was a ‘sting operation’ it carried out and historically no serious anti-corruption drive does not utilize that means when confronting corruption particularly where Judges are concerned. Generally, purging the Judiciary of corrupt Judges will almost always require undercover operations.
In the history of the US in the efforts to fight corruption in its judiciary, most of the experience with undercover operations targeting corrupt judges arises from Operation Greylord, a federal investigation in the 80s into corruption in the trial courts of Chicago and surrounding Cook County that resulted in the conviction of 13 judges and some 80 lawyers and court staff for bribery and other corruption related crimes.
Sting operations are not strange in the fight against corruption globally. Recently, investigations in Ghana revealed 500 plus hours of video tapes showing High Court judges and lower court magistrates accepting payoffs to acquit defendants in cases ranging from robbery and murder to bribery itself. The government is taking forceful and responsible action to cleanse the critical state institution of corruption, in accordance with the Ghanaian Constitution.
As in Ghana, the Chicago cases arose from secret tape recordings showing judges fixing cases for money. Like the Chicago judges caught on tape, some of those implicated in the Ghanaian scandal claim the taping violated the sanctity of the judicial chambers and evidence from them should therefore not be heard in any legal proceeding. Many in Ghana are urging that those who bribed their way out of a criminal case be re-tried before an honest judge.
For those hammering that the DSS forcibly broke into the house of one of the judges. Section 149 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, envisaged that, it states as follows: “Where any building liable to be searched is closed, a person residing in or being in charge of the building, thing or place, shall on demand of the police officer or other person executing the search warrant, allow him free and unhindered access to it and afford all reasonable facilities for its search.”
From the effect of Sections 9, 10, 12, 13 and 149 (2) of the ACJA the person executing a search warrant and or arrest warrant is empowered to “break open any outer or inner door or window of any house or place” where unhindered access is denied upon demand. Obviously the need to break a door wouldn’t have arisen if unhindered access into the house of the affected judge had been availed!
Being the text of Press Conference addressed by the Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt, Leaders, CACOL on the arrest of suspected corrupt Judges held at The Humanity Centre, 610, Abeokuta Expressway, Lagos, on October 11, 2016
KOLA ALUKO AND JIDE OMOKORE’S ASSETS SHOULD REMAIN FROZEN AS ORDERED BY COURT! – CACOL
The Lagos Federal High Court was recently in the spotlight as the court rejected the plea to unfreeze the assets of Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore. Early this year, the two businessmen were alleged to have been accomplices to Mrs. Allison Diezanni-Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum in a money laundering case under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
According to reports, Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore sought to overturn a court injunction permitting the anti-graft agency to freeze the assets of the two businessmen both within and outside the country. The duo was sued by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for an alleged debt of $1.8bn.
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) through its Executive Chairman Mr. Debo Adeniran stated that “in fighting corruption we must realize that the incurably corrupt amongst us will shamelessly oppose and fight back. Therefore we must be eternally vigilant and prepared to counter their counter-attacks so that plunderers of resources who are hell-bent on imposing their immoral and criminal ways on our collective existence will not achieve their goal, which is to keep us in permanent deprivation.”
The court rejected the plea of the defendants until a verdict is reached on the other charges levied on them. Mr. Debo Adeniran asserts that ‘’the synergy between the Judiciary and the anti-graft Agencies would be vital to the war against corruption. It is important that the anti-graft Agencies, the Judiciary and most importantly the Federal Government, continue to work together to ensure that corruption criminals don’t escape the hands of justice”.
“Corruption is a virus that would fight back and it is imperative that the anti-graft and law enforcement agencies are thorough in blocking every of its advances. As long as every step taken is within the ambit of the laws of the land, all suspected funds found in anybody’s account should be frozen until thorough investigations and validations of the source of such funds vis-à-vis the legitimacy establish no criminal culpability.”
“There is no reason why anyone who is confident that his or her source of wealth is legitimate would be running to the court to seek injunction from being put under the magnifying glasses of the constitutionally empowered Agencies to do so. It only makes such a person’s situation more suspicious; after all, if nothing is found to be illegitimate, the funds will be unfrozen and the court would even have to award damages in favour of the person’s whose funds were frozen.”
“Therefore all hands must be on the deck; the three arms of government, the anti-corruption and law enforcement Agencies, the civil society and all right thinking Nigerians must work together to ensure that the corrupt do not continue to escape justice. That is how we can collectively deter corruption in our country.” Adeniran concluded.
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 8, 2016
For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at
EXPEDITE ACTION ON SUSPECTED CORRUPT INEC OFFICIALS; CACOL TELLS EFCC
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders CACOL, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to submit its report on the Officials of the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC that are suspected of corruption in electioneering processes based on the investigations done thus far.
A media report recently disclosed that the EFCC is currently investigating more than 100 Officials of the Electoral Commission for alleged bribery during the last general elections.
The Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran speaking on the issue charged the EFFC to be steadfast in the discharge of its duties. “By now, EFCC should have completed its investigations in most of the corrupt practice cases that were perpetrated during various electioneering processes because the INEC have placed its part by submitting it reports to the Agency. The names of the corrupt INEC Officials so far released to EFCC and the status of each of the case needs to be known, so that those that are culpable will face the full wrath of law.”
“The anti-corruption stance of the present regime led by President Muhammadu Buhari will remain a mockery of what it should be if the politically corrupt keep using dubious and violent means to find their way into government. It will also be an indication that the change needed in the country cannot be achieved because the ‘old’ order is being kept intact. That this appears apparently like what the regime intends do, in spite of the glaring fundamental flaws is antithetical to the real change our country needs urgently and very disappointing!” Adeniran averred
CACOL’s Chairman said,”INEC is the hope of the common Nigerian when it comes to voting our leaders into power, it is very sad and disappointing that some of the Officials cannot be trusted, as they end up helping this politically corrupt leaders to manipulate their way into power by rigging the elections into their favour.”
“Thus we call on the EFCC to expedite action on all the corruption cases linked with electioneering processes as this would in the very long run make it difficult for corrupt elements to get to power. That is how we can keep the ‘rats, mosquitoes and cockroaches’ away from government as we would have lawfully denied them of access to our Commonwealth. Beyond this, the Commission has the constitutional backing to act on this all important situation to nip political corruption in the bud.” He added
“We are counting on INEC and also asking that they should not relent in the fight against corruption within their ranks because we believe that there are still more corrupt officers among the personnel of the electoral body.”
“INEC should implement the provisions of its law by ensuring that the cost of electioneering is strictly monitored and any political party or individual that refuses to abide by it should be adequately sanctioned. There should always be punishment for perpetrators,beneficiaries and abbeters of electoral fraud no matter how powerful, influential or crafty; the reason why they continue to perpetrate electoral fraud is because they were never punished for such act. The sanctions for electoral violence and other malpractices may not necessarily be capital, nonetheless, if anybody dies in the wake of electoral malpractices, then the offenders and beneficiaries should spend the rest of their lives in jail. But if nobody dies and no damage was caused to life and property, then the offenders should only be banned from participating in politics. However, depending on the gravity of their offence, offenders should get contest-ban or imprisonment ranging from eight years to life imprisonment.” concluded Mr. Adeniran
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
08141121208
October 7, 2016
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