The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has lambasted the
newly-sworn in National President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA,
Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, for suggesting limitation of the commission’s
powers.
The commission, in a strongly worded statement by its Spokesman,
Wilson Uwujaren, described the suggestion, which Mahmoud made at his
inauguration on Friday, as self-serving and meant to protect a cabal of
untouchables who could only be investigated but never prosecuted for
corruption.
Wilson said: “The EFCC appreciates the NBA’s acknowledgement of the
Commission’s strategic place in the fight against corruption in Nigeria
and the modest achievements that it has recorded so far. It also
welcomes the suggestion for reform.
“As the Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, has repeatedly started in his
public pronouncements, the agency is open to suggestions that will
improve its operations as it cannot pretend to have a monopoly of ideas
on how to fight corruption.
“Nevertheless, the Commission views with concern, the call by the NBA
president that the EFCC be stripped of its prosecutorial powers. The
Commission’s discomfort over this seemingly innocuous proposition, stems
from the fact that Mahmoud was silent on the reason for his position.
“More importantly, the Commission cannot comprehend how the
redefinition of EFCC’s mandate in narrow terms, ultimately whittling it
down, fits into the clamour by Nigerians and the vision of the President
Muhammadu Buhari administration for a vibrant and courageous
anti-corruption agency.
“Instead, Mahmoud’s suggestions appears perfectly in sync with a
cleverly disguised campaign by powerful forces that are uncomfortable
with the reinvigorated anti-graft campaign of the EFCC and are hell-bent
on emasculating the agency by stripping it of powers to prosecute with
the lame excuse that an agency that investigates cannot also prosecute.
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