A presiding judge of the Appeal Court, Sokoto division, Justice Muhammad Lawal, has challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) to ensure inclusive prosecution of corrupt practices in the fight against graft in the country.
Justice Lawal specifically cautioned the anti-graft agencies to “go after bigger fish and not yahoo boys,” as the only way the fight against corruption could be firmly rooted.
The appellate judge spoke at the opening of a one-day conference with state Attorneys-General in the North-West on strengthening ICPC’s capacity for corruption prevention, held in Kano.
Although Justice Lawal believes that fighting corruption in Nigeria requires the collaborative efforts of the court and the anti-graft agencies, he was of the opinion that the prosecution of graft must be deep and encompassing.
Besides, the judge expressed concern over the indiscriminate granting of ex parte orders that hinder the investigation of anti-graft agencies, cautioning judges against ultra vires rulings.
He cited several corrupt cases before him that have generated controversy, triggering a series of petitions before the National Judicial Council (NJC) against him.
“Part of the problem in the fight against graft in the country are judges. I have come across cases where judges give ex-parte orders to stop investigations. We have to be very careful in granting orders against anti-corruption agencies, as it amounts to ultra vires.
“Once you stop anti-corruption agencies from investigating, you are killing the anti-corruption fight and matter. There are preventive measures to expose corruption and related activities in the public interest,” Justice Lawal said.
Also speaking, a representative of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC), Uche Emmanuel, lauded the efforts of various anti-graft agencies in the fight against corruption but insisted that extra efforts would be needed to correct the depth of corruption in the country.
Reacting to Justice Lawal’s suggestion, Emmanuel opined that it is difficult to go after the big fish in Nigeria because the big sharks would be ready to deploy all their arsenals to fight back.
He, however, tasked the judiciary to avoid any tendencies that could lead to compromising justice, adding that even in light of constitutional provisions, the judiciary ought to be strongly convinced to carry out rulings in the interest of society.
On his part, the ICPC chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, explained that the conference, tagged “Establishing a Community of Practice for Attorneys-General,” aimed to draw support and collaboration from chief law officers of states in the North-West in the fight against corruption.
Dr Aliyu added that the commission intended to leverage the strength of the Attorneys-General to find solutions to issues in the administration of the criminal justice system, as well as evaluating and improving the strengths and weaknesses of the agency.
On the position of Justice Lawal, the ICPC boss maintained that it was not difficult to go after the bigger fish if only the slow processes of the justice system in the country could be upscaled with the use of advanced technology.
“Today’s gathering is crucial as we bring together key stakeholders at the subnational level to discuss the need for a united front in the fight against corruption. Confronting corruption is critical to the prosperity of our nation—no country can thrive where corruption thrives.
“As stakeholders, we must continue to encourage the people of the North-West to resist bribery demands. As chairman of the ICPC, I am committed to ensuring that the commission uses its law enforcement powers and preventive measures, which include enlisting and fostering public support in combating corruption in Nigeria within the confines of the law,” Dr Aliyu said.