NIGERIAN officials entrusted with fighting crimes have shown a preference for executing their briefs with mere words.

Even the members of the House of Representatives who claim they are on a mission to cleanse the House have wasted precious time threatening their Speaker instead of submitting a petition to the anti-corruption agencies. They finally did on Tuesday.

The law enforcement agents have adopted the same approach. A senior police officer in the South East, in statement, advised criminals to leave the zone, or the police would deal with them.

Where should they go? Why should the police serve criminals notice?

Criminals know these are empty threats. Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, Emmanuel Ayoola, a retired Supreme Court Justice, while flagging off what he called “one million-man rally” of the National Anti-Corruption Volunteers Corps in Owerri contributed to the empty words.

“Several volunteers have expressed concern in recent times that there have been violent attacks on operatives of the anti-corruption agencies in the course of discharging their official functions.

I seize this opportunity to assure all and sundry that the ICPC will not remain remiss in enforcing the provision of its Act that is designed to ensure protection of its officials and any person authorised by it in the execution of its duty under the Act,” he warned.

With the harassment of EFCC and ICPC officers reported some months ago, the rally was an excellent platform for Justice Ayoola to announce the apprehension of the suspects or their prosecution. It would have sent a far more powerful message that attacks on anti-corruption agents was a punishable offence.

A Permanent Secretary in Imo State reportedly organised an assault on an ICPC operative who wanted to arrest him. The conduct of the accused official should have been treated as a crime so long as the ICPC official was on a legitimate assignment.

Cases of these attacks are on the increase and agencies do nothing about them. Some of the attacks have resulted in deaths.

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu while at the head of the EFCC was criticised for the high-handedness of his operatives, but nobody dared attack them. Accused persons recognised them as officers of the law and submitted to them for investigations.

We are not advocating the violation of the rights of any accused person. We are urging the anti-corruption agents to show more seriousness and reclaim their standing as law enforcement agents.

The poor excuse suspects give for these attacks is that agents fail to identify themselves properly during operation. It must be understood that some level of subterfuge and force could be applied to arrest suspects who refuse to cooperate with operatives but their rights as suspects should not be violated.

Operatives are also accused of intimidation and corruption. The agencies should deal with the allegations.

Swift trial of those who obstruct the operations of the anti-corruption agencies would give the flagging anti-corruption war a new verve. Words cannot do it.