Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, says he
did not blame the judiciary for the delay in the prosecution of high-profile
cases.
On Monday, Malami, in an interview on Channels Television,
said the federal government has employed measures to ensure speedy dispensation
of cases, and that once a matter is brought before the court, it becomes a
judiciary affair.
“As far as the present administration is concerned, delay of
cases does not arise. If you are looking at it from the perspective of the
legislative framework, we are enforcing provisions of the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), as in day-in-day-out prosecution of cases,” the
attorney-general had said.
“You cannot, by any stretch of imagination, place blame
associated with the conclusion and determination of the case on the doorsteps
of the executive. It is exclusively a judicial affair.”
Responding to Malami’s comment, Ibrahim Muhammad, chief
justice of Nigeria (CJN), said the federal government files more charges than
it can prove in court, while describing the minister’s position as “one-sided”.
Commenting on the development in a statement issued on
Wednesday by Umar Gwandu, his spokesman, Malami said his position was
misconstrued.
“Malami said it is on record that the Buhari-led federal
government has a record of non-interference with or meddling into the affairs
of the legislature and judiciary,” the statement reads.
“It was within the context of this quality and feature of
non-interference by the Buhari-led federal government and for the avoidance of
sub-judice that the minister responded that high-profile cases were presented
by the federal government for prosecution and the government came out with
initiatives in its efforts to support speedy determination of justice.
“He noted with dismay the way his response to a question in
a recent interview was construed to evoke an unintended and non-existing
inferences which some mischief makers projected him as blaming the judiciary.
“It was an innocent statement aimed at showing the
re-enactment of a tripartite division of powers and responsibilities among the
executive, legislature and judiciary.”
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