Political looters want to silence EFCC – Presidency

The court injunctions against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in about 10 states and the Supreme Court verdicts being expected on the legality of the anti-graft agency are reflective of the troubled times before the EFCC in the country, the presidency has said.

The supreme Court suit, which judgement have been reserved, was instituted by the Kogi State Government and over 10 other states, challenging the agency’s power to go after public officeholders and other Nigerians that may have been linked to financial improprieties, cybercrime and other illegalities in the country.

Unlike other government’s law enforcement agencies that were often requested by Nigerians to go after offenders; the EFCC is battling with court cases instituted by Nigerians and institutions that should have aided the anti-graft agency in its efforts to prevent corruption across the country, rather than placing hurdles before it.

The presidency indicated that the series of court cases filed against the agency were another strategy allegedly embarked upon to silence the anti-graft agency after throwing up evidence that validated its stance on many cases including high-profile ones.

As gathered, the cases spring up following unsuccessful efforts to persuade President Bola Tinubu to clip the EFCC boss, Ola Olukoyede, wings who had become thorn in the flesh for many youths engaged in cybercrime, serving and former public officeholders within the first year of assuming office.

This became obvious after statistics showed that EFCC recorded over 3,000 convictions and is currently prosecuting over seven high-profile cases within the first year of the Olukoyede-led anti-graft agency.

The records, as learnt, was achieved following the President’s declaration of non-interference in EFCC operations after appointing Olukoyede to lead the EFCC, in order to ensure that misappropriation in public offices reduce drastically in the country.

Although the records are huge, they have been identified as a major source of worries for many public officeholders and private individuals that had been praising the EFCC boss including the Attorney-Generals and Commissioners of Justice of the states that have challenged the agency’s legality at the country’s apex court.

Shedding light on the plan to silence the agency amid its first year records that has drawn applause from all quarters, an aide to the Presidency disclosed to our correspondent that many are aware that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration has given the anti-graft agencies particularly the EFCC free will to go after looters and other financial crime offenders across the country.

He noted that this formed part of the reasons many have started adopting different strategies including the Kogi State former governor, Yahaya Bello, that has allegedly refused to honour EFCC invitation and court summons.

The aide argued that the expectation of the Tinubu-led government was that the legal practitioners from the states who had been singing the praise of the EFCC will discourage their state governors from filing a suit on the legality of the anti-graft agency at the Supreme Court.

He noted that but the administration was surprised that they allowed their governors to embark on the move without offering better legal advice to caution the governors on the case and the precedent they may be setting for future generations.

The suit at the apex court came barely three months after the Body of State Attorneys-General of Nigeria visited the EFCC chairman in Abuja and commended him the agency’s forward-looking under his leadership and developmental approaches to the fight against economic as well as financial crimes and other acts of corruption.

Dr. Ben Odoh , who led other Attorneys-General of the 36 States during the visit, pointed out that the appointment of Olukoyede came with vast experience as a notable anti-graft fighter and lauded his new-fangled initiatives geared towards deepening the fight against corruption.

“We have carefully noticed the strategies you marshalled out to bequeath a crime-free environment in Nigeria. You have steered a transformative course in the fight against corruption and we commend you sincerely Mr. Chairman”, he added.

Although, some states have pulled out from the case, but a staff of the Ministry of Justice, who spoke on anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the media, noted that the Federal Government through the ministry isn’t handling the suit with kid gloves considering the achievements recorded by the affected agencies under the present administration.

She added that this was reason the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, decided to lead the Federal Government’s legal team to the apex court challenging the suit brought by the governors against EFCC and others.

According to her, this is corruption stylishly fighting back through the courts and we will have to confront it and protect public resources from being embezzled by civil servants and political appointees in the three ties of government in the country.

A female aide to the President told our correspondent that the President is committed to the anti-graft war and has directed the Attorney-General to protect all agencies affected by the suit in court.

She added that these agencies, particularly the EFCC, have become threat to many who have considered the agency a financial watchdog that will be heard to bypass for any former public officer linked to financial misappropriation.