Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, says senior lawyers and
journalists are frustrating the war against corruption in Nigeria.
According to Magu, these respected lawyers collect part of the money
stolen by corrupt Nigerians to defend them and delay justice. Magu said
this while speaking at a meeting with a coalition of Civil Society
Groups who visited him at EFCC Headquarters in Abuja today February
16th;
"One of the big challenges we have in the effective prosecution of the
war on corruption, is that of very senior lawyers who Nigeria has been
very kind to: They who went to good schools when Nigeria was good, many
of them, on government scholarship; they who Nigeria has given so much
opportunity.
When we have corruption cases, cases of people who have stolen food from
the mouths of our children; when we have cases of people who have
stolen money meant to build hospitals and buy drugs; when we have cases
of people who have stolen all the money meant to buy guns for our
soldiers to fight Boko Haram, when we have all these cases of wicked
people who have stolen Nigeria's money, they run to these same senior
lawyers, give them part of the stolen money and mobilise them to fight
us, to delay us in court and to deny Nigerians of justice. These are the
people who do not want justice for the common man.
The other day, 34 Senior Advocates of Nigeria fought against only one
small EFCC lawyer in court and he defeated all of them! What we are
doing today is not by our power, it is the power of the Nigerian people
and the power of God behind us!
Corrupt people hire journalists to abuse us every day, they say we are
not doing the work according to the law. But, that is not true. There
is no agency that follows the law more than EFCC. None. Before we
arrest you, or seize your property or do anything to you, we check the
law, we go to court and get court order. That is why we are winning;
that is why we are defeating them everyday.
We want the Nigerian people to continue to support us, continue to
support Mr. President's war on corruption.
We have many corruption cases in court. We are getting them every day
from everywhere and we are recovering stolen money and taking corrupt
people to court.
The money we have recovered and the money we are going to get back from
them -billions and billions of Naira- is being paid back to government
and will be used to do what it was originally meant for -to build
hospitals, send our children to school, build roads and railways, create
employment and defend our country.
We have no other country than Nigeria. This war is the war of the
people.
Apart from the fear of God, we have no other fear. Apart from the
interest of Nigeria, we have no other interest. And apart from the Rule
of Law, we have no other rule guiding the work we are doing today. The
days of impunity are over.
Victory is certain for the common man! Aluta continua!"he said
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