THE chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has frowned at the frequent adjournments of high-profile corruption cases by Nigerian courts.
Olukoyede listed other challenges facing the commission, including conflicting court orders from courts with coordinated jurisdiction, contempt orders targeting its leadership, and an over-reliance on technicalities in corruption cases.
Additionally, Olukoyede stated that unwarranted injunctions hindered the commission’s investigations into corruption cases.
He added that the issues were compounded by challenges plaguing Nigeria’s law enforcement, such as corruption and lack of professionalism.
Olukoyede stated this while speaking at the 6th EFCC/National Judicial Institute (NJI) capacity-building workshop for justices and judges in Abuja on Monday, October 7.
He said at the workshop, which had the theme, ‘Integrating stakeholders in curbing economic and financial crimes’. that court orders prevented the EFCC from investigating corruption cases in 10 states.
“The incidence of suspects facing criminal investigation rushing to court to obtain orders of injunction restraining the commission from inviting, investigating, interrogating, and arresting them, including some state governments, has become rampant and worrisome,” the EFC chairman stated.
He added that despite the efforts of judges in resolving corruption cases across the country and the designation of courts and judges to hear corruption matters, there were still some areas of concern that needed to be addressed urgently.
Declaring the conference open, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, called on Nigerians to form formidable unifying forces against economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.
Tinubu emphasised that corruption had become a cancer, denying the nation the full benefits of its God-given resources, and for its corrosive effects to be destroyed, Nigerians must rise combatively against it.
“No Nigerian is immune from corruption, a cancer that continues to deny the nation the full benefits of its God-given resources. Rather than look up only to the anti-corruption agencies for a solution to this malaise, I believe it is in our enlightened collective interest to close ranks and aggressively tackle this common enemy,” Tinubu stated.
In her address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere Ekun, emphasised the importance of integrating all stakeholders in the anti-corruption corridor through a unified structure for information sharing across institutions.
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, stated in his remarks that building strong legal frameworks, effective law enforcement, and international cooperation were imperative to combat financial crimes and unify stakeholders.
He also called for a renewal of commitment to higher values to move the nation forward. “Let us renew our commitment to justice, integrity, and the well-being of our nation,” Fagbemi stated.
The workshop attracted stakeholders, policymakers, top government officials, civil society organisations, and anti-corruption bodies.
A reporter with the ICIR
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