President Muhammadu Buhari has been called
upon to bring an end to the obstruction of justice by operatives of the
Department of State Services, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability
Project, SERAP, gave the call while condemning the face-off between the two
security agencies.
In a statement signed by its
Deputy Director, Timohy Adewale and sent to DAILY POST, SERAP urged, “the
government of President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently instruct the leadership of
the SSS and NIA to allow anti-corruption agencies to carry out their mandate
without any interference whatsoever.”
The statement reads, “Preventing
the arrest of a former Director-General of the Department of State Services,
Mr. Ita Ekpeyong; and a former Director-General of the National Intelligence
Agency, Ambassador Ayo Oke so that they are unavailable to answer the charges
of corruption against them amounts to abuse of power and obstruction of
justice. It is patently contrary to Nigerian law and international standards
such as the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party.
“Nothing more fundamentally
undermines public confidence in the fight against grand corruption and trust in
government than to see state security agencies paid for by public funds
apparently aiding and abetting those suspected of engaging in corruption to
escape justice.”
“Obstructing the work of
anticorruption agencies is a text-book case of interference with the orderly administration
of law and justice, which can send a particularly damaging message that the
government may not be truly committed to the fight against corruption. This may
in turn affect the government’s whistle-blower policy and discourage the public
from coming forward and providing the authorities with useful evidence of grand
corruption.”
“By moving speedily to stop this
kind of behaviour by the SSS and NIA officials, Buhari would be making clear
that under his watch those accused of grand corruption would not be allowed to
circumvent the law no matter their status in the society.”
“Protecting suspected
perpetrators from facing justice for corruption may suggest that officials of
SSS and NIA are trying to cover up allegations of corruption against those
involved.”
“Fighting corruption is not just
for the EFCC alone or any corruption-specific mandate agencies but it is for
all state security officials and law enforcement agencies to cooperate and work
together to support the government to achieve its oft-repeated commitment to
combat grand corruption and impunity of perpetrators. Buhari must wade in to
end this face-off if his government is to successfully stop the spread of
corruption in the country and protect the integrity and authority of
anti-corruption agencies.”
“According reports, the EFCC
officials tried to arrest the former head of the NIA, Ayo Oke, and former head
of the SSS, Ita Ekpeyong, from their homes on Mamman Nasir Street in the
Asokoro district of Abuja but were resisted by armed security agents of the two
agencies.”
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