SARAKIGATE: Politicians running from their shadows – CACOL

There had been indications in the news that politicians in the country have begun to lobby the Code of Conduct Bureau into availing them the avenue to tinker with the information earlier submitted on the assets declaration forms already in its custody, to escape possible future prosecution.

Comrade Debo Adeniran
Comrade Debo Adeniran

 

A development which came in the light of the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false declaration of assets. Politicians in the country had until now seemed to have taken the exercise for granted, believing that a day of reckoning may never come.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, a group of civil-society, community-based and other non-governmental organizations with the objective of fighting corruption and corrupt persons by any means possible at all levels in Nigeria has expressed its dismay over the seeming ineffectiveness of the anti-corruption agencies created by the government. Going by the existing constitutional powers conferred on the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), one cannot but wonder as to why these all-important institutions whose activities basically anchor the principle of accountability and probity on the part of public officers had, all these while, so remained virtually consigned to the background, so to say, in the affairs of our democratic governance.

Information reaching us as shown that the CCB seems to be complicit in the exercise to the extent that they simply grant politicians unfettered access to assets declaration forms earlier submitted by them to be altered having seen that the new regime is not taking it easy with those who made anticipatory and false declarations. The forms are not even properly kept; when one gets to their offices, constitutional process for accessing these forms that have been filled is not strictly complied with. They are left in open shelves and at times on the desk where the forms could even disappear, thus allowing a declarant to easily alter what he/she has earlier declared. Corrupt CCB officials engaged in this criminal act should be warned to desist forthwith and be made to realize that the fate of the accomplice in a crime is as grave as that of the perpetrator.

Looking at the CCB and Tribunal Act CAP 56, LFN 1990- The CCB and its twin sister, the Code of Conduct Tribunal are Extra – Ministerial Departments set up by the Federal Government under the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap 56, LFN 1990. The Act gave the Bureau the mandate “to establish and maintain a high standard morality in the conduct of Government Business and to ensure that the actions and behavior of Public Officers conform to the highest standard of public morality and accountability.”

Corruption has so far succeeded in not only ravaging our values and pride, but has also succeeded in bastardizing the psyche of the majority so much so that thieves are openly hailed and celebrated. Ours is gradually becoming a society that encourages opportunism in whatever form. The tendency to exploit every given opportunity to satisfy one’s selfish desire no longer rest only with the leaders, the led themselves now encourage the leaders to thrive in self-serving exploits.

It’s saddening and highly disturbing to see what has now become the norm for the led to constantly remind their newly elected (or appointed) leaders of why they should see their new positions as an opportunity that might come only once and so urge them to corruptly enrich themselves to the maximum at the expense of the less privileged. The common phrase nowadays is “it is our turn to chop”.

It is now a common sight to see ‘men of timber and caliber’ turning out in large number to accompany an accused corrupt person to the court or law enforcement or anti-corruption agencies, on a solidarity mission; all aimed at intimidating the institution of justice. This is why, when we put all these together, no one would envy President Buhari on his committed crusade against corruption.

We make bold to say that corruption has virtually become the second name of the average Nigerian, therefore, it would not be entirely out of place to insinuate that whoever is fighting corruption should see himself as indirectly fighting the generality of Nigerians; and we all know what that entails.

Once asset declaration forms were filled and submitted by public officials to the CCB, it becomes a criminal act for any official of the CCB to allow any alteration to the document. Since the politicians had already sworn to oaths that whatever they filled in the forms as their assets was correct, they cannot come back to seek any amendment to any part or section of earlier information therein. That they even attempted to change their declarations at all should be seen as a criminal exercise as doing so amounts to forgery and should be so viewed and treated.

If we are truly serious about fighting corruption and rid of it from our system, all hands have to be on deck and support must be given to the government to do the needful, regardless of who is involved. The Anti-corruption hurricane has started gathering momentum, only the corrupt needs to fear the whirl wind.

Source: Newsverge

 

Arrest politicians seeking to alter assets declaration forms – CACOL

   

ALI GAMBO ABDULLAHI

An anti-corruption group, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, on Tuesday called for the arrest of politicians seeking to alter the information already contained in their assets declaration forms.

The group said those engaging in the practice should be arrested and prosecuted for forgery.

In a statement by its acting Media Officer, Temitope Macjob, CACOL said once assets declaration forms were filled and submitted by public officials to the CCB, it becomes a criminal act for any official of the bureau to allow any alteration to the documents.

It said since the politicians had already sworn to oaths that everything they filled in the forms as their assets was correct, they could not come back to seek any amendment to any part or section of information therein. CACOL, however, expressed dismay over what it described as the seeming ineffectiveness of the anti-corruption agencies in the country, especially the CCB.

The group said it was shameful that the CCB, whose activities were basically anchored on the principle of accountability and probity on the part of public officers, had been poorly discharging its responsibilities.

According to CACOL, the CCB is not properly handling the assets declaration forms already submitted to it by politicians.

The group said, “Information reaching us has shown that the CCB seems to be complicit in the exercise to the extent that the bureau simply grants politicians unfettered access to assets declaration forms earlier submitted to it to be altered having seen that the new regime is not taking it easy with those who made anticipatory and false declarations.

“The forms were not even properly kept; when one gets to the CBB offices, constitutional process for accessing these forms is not strictly complied with. The forms are left in open shelves and, at times, on the desk where the forms could even disappear, thus allowing a declarant to easily alter what he/she had earlier declared.

“Corrupt CCB officials engaging in this criminal act should be warned to desist forthwith and be made to realise that the fate of the accomplice in a crime is as grave as that of the perpetrator.”

 

Source: The Punch.

 

 

SARAKIGATE: POLITICIANS RUNNING FROM THEIR SHADOWS – CACOL

 

There had been indications in the news that politicians in the country have begun to lobby the Code of Conduct Bureau into availing them the avenue to tinker with the information earlier submitted on the assets declaration forms already in its custody, to escape possible future prosecution. A development which came in the light of the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false declaration of assets. Politicians in the country had until now seemed to have taken the exercise for granted, believing that a day of reckoning may never come. Continue reading “SARAKIGATE: POLITICIANS RUNNING FROM THEIR SHADOWS – CACOL”

KOGI/BAYELSA ELECTIONS: CACOL QUERIES APC’s CHOICE OF CANDIDATES

 

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has queried the propriety of the choice of the two governorship candidates by the All Progressives Congress in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

 

This came on the heels of the recent emergence of former Governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Timipre Sylva as candidates of the All Progressives Congress governorship elections scheduled to hold in Kogi and Bayelsa States on 21st November, 2015 and 5th December, 2015 respectively.

 

All Progressives Congress’s candidate for the Kogi State governorship election, Prince Abubakar Audu’s public records is that of a man that has been described in many derogatory adjectives ever since he left office as governor in 2003. It is well documented that he has been hurled severally before several judges and on various issues. Mr. Audu was recently being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, of misappropriating N11 billion of the state’s funds while he was governor between 1999 and 2003.

 

Mr. Sylva was also docked alongside his co-accused in July 2014 for allegedly using three companies to siphon funds from Bayelsa state treasury between 2009 and 2012. A fresh plea over a six-count criminal charge was filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He is said to be facing trial over the allegation that he masterminded the illegal diversion of funds from the Bayelsa State treasury while in power. He was specifically accused of siphoning over N6.5 billion from the Bayelsa State treasury between October 2009 and February 2010.

 

Reacting to this development on behalf of the Coalition, its Executive Chairman, Comrade Debo Adeniran has expressed his total disagreement and has frowned at the choice of the ruling party’s governorship candidates. He said, “The two candidates being presented by the ruling party in the two states are standing trial for corruption and we don’t think the party should allow those who have not discharged themselves of baggages of corruption to contest election, let alone win election. That would mean that they are allowing a danger that has been foreseen to cause catastrophe because, if they have not discharged themselves of corruption charges on account of their first term in office, they ought not to be allowed to cause further damage.

 

“Their integrity is still doubtful; so why should we allow them to go into the same office where we cannot be sure whether or not they are going to govern with integrity?” Thus, their openly expressed desire to seek a come back to the state Government House as governor, should be considered a misplaced effrontery.

 

Speaking further, Adeniran stressed that no sustainable democratic culture could be established as long as our No. 1 enemy, corruption, thrives. This is why CACOL and other anti-corruption institutions and organizations should not relent but remain in the vanguard of the fight against this seemingly untamable monster that had overtime assumed the overbearing status of an albatross that has constantly been terrifying the very existence of this nation by preventing corrupt elements from assuming political positions.

 

We believe that President Buhari, as a leader in the ruling party and one acknowledged to be a no-nonsense man on issues of corruption, cannot afford to be neither be too deaf nor blind to the long list of Audu Abubakar’s and Timipere Sylva past allegations. We also believe he would want to be taken seriously on his recent declaration to the world that his fight against corruption is not a respecter of political affiliation. “If you have reasons to fraternize with corrupt elements and you know deep down in your heart that such people are corrupt, then you don’t have to pander to the dictates of such class of people. The President needs to take up the toga of a revolutionary to be able to win the war, Adeniran added.

 

We would want to conclude, concerning this issue, that we are not oblivious of similar practice in some other political parties. The emergence of Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as Ekiti State governor in the last gubernatorial election in the state is another reference point. It’s on record that several charges, ranging from financial impropriety to murder, remained unresolved for over eight years after leaving office in his first stanza as the state governor, up till today. Therefore, our position on this anomaly should be seen and perceived by all concerned from a generalized view-point.

 

 

 

Temitope Macjob

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com.

23rd September, 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.corruptionwatchng.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Saraki’s Arraignment Has Shown – CACOL

Sep 20 2015 – 3:59pm

Senator Bukola Saraki


Eromosele Ebhomele.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, has slammed those castigating Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over the latter’s trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki and subsequent order of his arrest for abstaining from the tribunal.

Though the Nigeria Police Force says it does not have a warrant of arrest from the tribunal to carry out the order against Saraki, the anti-corruption crusader said the tribunal’s action has shown that nobody, no matter how highly placed can be treated as a sacred cow in the current fight against corruption in the country. Saraki’s trial was supposed to commence on Friday, 18 September, 2015, but his absence resulted in the tribunal ordering his arrest.

“It’s worth recalling that CACOL, like some other well-meaning individuals and organisations, has consistently been advocating the strengthening of our institutions, especially those serving as avenues for law and justice if our clamour for entrenching the culture of respect for the rule of law, recognition of its supremacy, equality before the law, enforcement of the law and of course, unbiased but upright judicial system, as a veritable means of stemming the alarming tide of corruption in our country, is to be taken seriously,” Debo Adeniran, Executive Chairman of CACOL said.

Debo Adeniran

Adeniran reminded Nigerians that the Buhari administration was voted in mainly to effect a positive change in the system. “Having collectively agreed that corruption has remained our number one enemy of progress as a nation, we owe it a duty to collectively give every support possible to this government in its fight against the monster that has ravaged our nation for this long,” Adeniran added.

He said his organisation would not buy into all the sentiments of witch-hunt, vendetta and the likes against Saraki as being expressed by those he called subversive elements in the society. “What is all this noise about witch-hunt, selectiveness or vendetta or whatever they want to call it? To me, it’s all bal-da-dash. Let’s even agree that the CCB’s action is selective, the reasonable question here should be; does it have a case at all against the accused? If the answer is yes, then why all the fuss? Assuming only five out of 20 thieves are being selected for prosecution, does that remove the fact that those five are thieves? The point I believe these critics should rather address here is; if thieves are selected, there is no way you could be among those selected if you are not a thief; and if you believe you have been selected in error, appear before the court and prove your innocence. I believe that settles it,” Adeniran argued.

CACOL posited that Senator Saraki is a Nigerian, a lawmaker representing the people of Nigeria and that he is being arraigned before a competent court to answer to charges made against him.

“Guilty or not, he has to appear,” the coalition’s chairman said. “We also warn those mischief-makers to desist from politicising every step taken by the government or any constituted and competent arm of the government, towards achieving a given end. Whatever intra-party or inter-party crisis that may exist within the polity should be of less interest to the Nigerian public; rather, what should be of paramount interest should be that of our collective wish as a nation. The fight against corruption should be seen as a collective one; therefore this administration needs the support of all in order to succeed. We must all realise that it is Saraki today; it certainly would be somebody else tomorrow. The Code of Conduct Bureau must not only be effective but must be seen to be and it just has to start from somewhere,” Adeniran said.

SARAKI’S ARRAIGNMENT: A POINT HAS BEEN PROVED- CACOL

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), while reacting to the arraignment of the senate president, Senator Bukola Saraki, on Friday, 18th September, 2015, believed that a vital point has been proved by this singular action by the EFCC and called on the Nigerian public to acknowledge this fact.

It’s worth recalling that CACOL, like some other well-meaning individuals and organizations, has consistently been advocating the strengthening of our institutions, especially those serving as avenues for law and justice, if our clamour for entrenching the culture of respect for the rule of law, recognition of its supremacy, equality before the law, enforcement of the law and of course, unbiased but upright judicial system, as a veritable means of stemming the alarming tide of corruption in our country, is to be taken seriously.

The Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Debo Adeniran has reminded Nigerians that, Buhari’s administration was voted in mainly to effect a positive change into the system and having collectively agreed that corruption has remained our No. 1 enemy of progress as a nation, we owe it a duty to collectively give every support possible to this government in its fight against the monster that has ravaged our nation for this long.

Adeniran has bluntly refused to buy into all the sentiments of witch-hunting, vendetta and the likes, as being expressed by some subversive elements in the society, as basis for what we are recently witnessing. He queried, “What is all this noise about witch-hunting, selectiveness or vendetta or whatever they want to call it? To me, it’s all bal-da-dash. Let’s even agree that the CCB’s action is selective, the reasonable question here should be; does it have a case at all against the accused?

“If the answer is yes, then why all the fuss? Assuming only 5 out of 20 thieves are been selected for prosecution, does that remove the fact that those five are thieves? The point I believe these critics should rather address here is; if thieves are selected, there is no way you could be among those selected if you are not a thief; and if you believe you have been selected in error, appear before the court and prove your innocence. I believe that settles it.”

CACOL posits that Senator Saraki is a Nigerian, a law-maker representing the people of Nigeria; he’s been arraigned before a competent court to answer to charges made against him; guilty or not, he has to appear.

We also warn those mischief-makers to desist from politicizing every step taken by the government or any constituted and competent arm of the government, towards achieving a given end. Whatever intra-party or inter-party crisis that may exist within the polity should be of less interest to the Nigerian public; rather, what should be of paramount interest should be that of our collective wish as a nation. The fight against corruption should be seen as a collective one; therefore this administration needs the support of all in order to succeed.

We must all realize that, it is Saraki today; it certainly would be somebody else tomorrow. The CCB must not only be effective but must be seen to be AND it just has to start from somewhere.

 

Temitope Macjob

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com

19th September, 2015.

 

 

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

                                     www.cwatch.thehumanitycentre.org

Alleged Forgery By Senators: Stop The Buck-Passing, CACOL Tells Police And The AGF

By   /  September 15, 2015

Senate-Chamber-1The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has expressed dismay at the news report quoting the police placing the delay in prosecuting the case of alleged forgery of the senate rules by certain members of the National Assembly at the doorstep of the office of the AGF.

The Police, in a statement, attributed the delay in the prosecution of those indicted in their report on the investigation into the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule 2015 to a civil suit by a group seeking an injunction to stop the matter in court.

The allegation which was brought to the fore was sequel to a petition by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi of the All Progressives Congress from Kaduna State, claiming a criminal act of forgery was committed by some yet-to-be named members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly in connivance with some management officers in the Senate rules; an act which allegedly facilitated the controversial emergence of certain principal officers of the Senate in the last elections on the floor of the House.

In the report; the police had claimed to have carried out its investigations thoroughly during which some senators as well as management officers were interrogated at different times after which it produced its report and accordingly forwarded same to the office of the AGF for further actions which include giving legal advice and recommendations on the matter.

But, according to the police, the office of the AGF, rather than do the needful, choose to embark on a delay process by returning the said report to the police, asking it to do further investigation on the case. Whilst the police insisted it has since returned the report to the AGF’s office, the latter denied ever receiving any such thing, and so the buck-passing game continues.

Reacting to the news, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran has wondered with dismay how a criminal case of such magnitude could be toyed with by those whose responsibility is to ensure prompt dispensation of justice at all times.

“CACOL believes that when an allegation of crime is made against a lawmaker or group of lawmakers, in any sane society, one would have expected that every process of investigation and possible prosecution be expedited with all the seriousness it deserves and without unnecessary delay whatsoever.

“For crying out loud, we are talking here about the senior representatives of the people entrusted with the noble task of making laws for us. So why all this blame game and buck-passing? Both the police and the AGF should sit up and do the needful. They should be told loud and clear that this is one case that cannot be swept under the carpet. Nigerians are eager to know the findings of the probe; they want to know the truth. Criminals can’t be made law-makers.

“For those who will precise over the making, unmaking and adjustments of the body of laws with which our lives will be administered, Nigerians cannot afford to tolerate them to be people of questionable character and until this present allegations are cleared, everybody that have been accused of the crime will be viewed by Nigerians as still of doubtful integrity”, Adeniran said.

– See more at: http://universalreporters247.com/2015/09/alleged-forgery-by-senators-stop-the-buck-passing-cacol-tells-police-and-the-agf/#sthash.zrJkED1a.dpuf

ALLEGED FORGERY BY SENATORS: STOP THE BUCK-PASSING, CACOL TELLS POLICE AND THE AGF.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has expressed dismay at the news report quoting the police placing the delay in prosecuting the case of alleged forgery of the senate rules by certain members of the National Assembly at the doorstep of the office of the AGF.
The Police, in a statement, attributed the delay in the prosecution of those indicted in their report on the investigation into the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule 2015 to a civil suit by a group seeking an injunction to stop the matter in court.
The allegation which was brought to the fore was sequel to a petition by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi of the All Progressives Congress from Kaduna State, claiming a criminal act of forgery was committed by some yet-to-be named members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly in connivance with some management officers in the Senate rules; an act which allegedly facilitated the controversial emergence of certain principal officers of the Senate in the last elections on the floor of the House.
In the report; the police had claimed to have carried out its investigations thoroughly during which some senators as well as management officers were interrogated at different times after which it produced its report and accordingly forwarded same to the office of the AGF for further actions which include giving legal advice and recommendations on the matter.
But, according to the police, the office of the AGF, rather than do the needful, choose to embark on a delay process by returning the said report to the police, asking it to do further investigation on the case. Whilst the police insisted it has since returned the report to the AGF’s office, the latter denied ever receiving any such thing, and so the buck-passing game continues.

Reacting to the news, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran has wondered with dismay how a criminal case of such magnitude could be toyed with by those whose responsibility is to ensure prompt dispensation of justice at all times.
“CACOL believes that when an allegation of crime is made against a lawmaker or group of lawmakers, in any sane society, one would have expected that every process of investigation and possible prosecution be expedited with all the seriousness it deserves and without unnecessary delay whatsoever.
“For crying out loud, we are talking here about the senior representatives of the people entrusted with the noble task of making laws for us. So why all this blame game and buck-passing? Both the police and the AGF should sit up and do the needful. They should be told loud and clear that this is one case that cannot be swept under the carpet. Nigerians are eager to know the findings of the probe; they want to know the truth. Criminals can’t be made law-makers.

 

“For those who would preside over the making, unmaking and adjustments of the body of laws with which our lives will be administered, Nigerians cannot afford to tolerate them to be people of questionable character and until this present allegations are cleared, everybody that has been accused of the crime will be viewed by Nigerians as still of doubtful integrity”, Adeniran said.

 

Temitope Macjob

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com.

15th September, 2015.

 

 

 

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.cwatch.thehumanitycentre.org

 

ALLEGED FORGERY BY SENATORS: STOP THE BUCK-PASSING, CACOL TELLS POLICE AND THE AGF

Image result for nigerian senate house

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has expressed dismay at the news report quoting the police placing the delay in prosecuting the case of alleged forgery of the senate rules by certain members of the National Assembly at the doorstep of the office of the AGF.
The Police, in a statement, attributed the delay in the prosecution of those indicted in their report on the investigation into the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule 2015 to a civil suit by a group seeking an injunction to stop the matter in court.
The allegation which was brought to the fore was sequel to a petition by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi of the All Progressives Congress from Kaduna State, claiming a criminal act of forgery was committed by some yet-to-be named members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly in connivance with some management officers in the Senate rules; an act which allegedly facilitated the controversial emergence of certain principal officers of the Senate in the last elections on the floor of the House.
In the report; the police had claimed to have carried out its investigations thoroughly during which some senators as well as management officers were interrogated at different times after which it produced its report and accordingly forwarded same to the office of the AGF for further actions which include giving legal advice and recommendations on the matter.
But, according to the police, the office of the AGF, rather than do the needful, choose to embark on a delay process by returning the said report to the police, asking it to do further investigation on the case. Whilst the police insisted it has since returned the report to the AGF’s office, the latter denied ever receiving any such thing, and so the buck-passing game continues.

Reacting to the news, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran has wondered with dismay how a criminal case of such magnitude could be toyed with by those whose responsibility is to ensure prompt dispensation of justice at all times.
“CACOL believes that when an allegation of crime is made against a lawmaker or group of lawmakers, in any sane society, one would have expected that every process of investigation and possible prosecution be expedited with all the seriousness it deserves and without unnecessary delay whatsoever.

“For crying out loud, we are talking here about the senior representatives of the people entrusted with the noble task of making laws for us. So why all this blame game and buck-passing? Both the police and the AGF should sit up and do the needful. They should be told loud and clear that this is one case that cannot be swept under the carpet. Nigerians are eager to know the findings of the probe; they want to know the truth. Criminals can’t be made law-makers.

“For those who would precise over the making, unmaking and adjustments of the body of laws with which our lives will be administered, Nigerians cannot afford to tolerate them to be people of questionable character and until this present allegations are cleared, everybody that have been accused of the crime will be viewed by Nigerians as still of doubtful integrity”, Adeniran said.

 

Temitope Macjob

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com.

15th September, 2015.


For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.cwatch.thehumanitycentre.org

Alleged Forgery By Senators: Stop The Buck-Passing, CACOL Tells Police And The AGF

Senate-Chamber-1

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has expressed dismay at the news report quoting the police placing the delay in prosecuting the case of alleged forgery of the senate rules by certain members of the National Assembly at the doorstep of the office of the AGF.

The Police, in a statement, attributed the delay in the prosecution of those indicted in their report on the investigation into the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule 2015 to a civil suit by a group seeking an injunction to stop the matter in court.

The allegation which was brought to the fore was sequel to a petition by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi of the All Progressives Congress from Kaduna State, claiming a criminal act of forgery was committed by some yet-to-be named members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly in connivance with some management officers in the Senate rules; an act which allegedly facilitated the controversial emergence of certain principal officers of the Senate in the last elections on the floor of the House.

In the report; the police had claimed to have carried out its investigations thoroughly during which some senators as well as management officers were interrogated at different times after which it produced its report and accordingly forwarded same to the office of the AGF for further actions which include giving legal advice and recommendations on the matter.

But, according to the police, the office of the AGF, rather than do the needful, choose to embark on a delay process by returning the said report to the police, asking it to do further investigation on the case. Whilst the police insisted it has since returned the report to the AGF’s office, the latter denied ever receiving any such thing, and so the buck-passing game continues.

Reacting to the news, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran has wondered with dismay how a criminal case of such magnitude could be toyed with by those whose responsibility is to ensure prompt dispensation of justice at all times.

“CACOL believes that when an allegation of crime is made against a lawmaker or group of lawmakers, in any sane society, one would have expected that every process of investigation and possible prosecution be expedited with all the seriousness it deserves and without unnecessary delay whatsoever.

“For crying out loud, we are talking here about the senior representatives of the people entrusted with the noble task of making laws for us. So why all this blame game and buck-passing? Both the police and the AGF should sit up and do the needful. They should be told loud and clear that this is one case that cannot be swept under the carpet. Nigerians are eager to know the findings of the probe; they want to know the truth. Criminals can’t be made law-makers.

“For those who will precise over the making, unmaking and adjustments of the body of laws with which our lives will be administered, Nigerians cannot afford to tolerate them to be people of questionable character and until this present allegations are cleared, everybody that have been accused of the crime will be viewed by Nigerians as still of doubtful integrity”, Adeniran said.

 

Source: universalreporters247.com