By Gabriel Ewepu, ABUJA

AS high-profile cases recently erupted in the polity, the Founder and President, One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Eholor, Tuesday, asserted that plea-bargain is the worst approach to fight corruption.

In a chat with Vanguard, Eholor said, the plea-bargain option to recover stolen money from corrupt Nigerians discourages Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, and Nigerians to join in the fight against corruption.

He said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, led by its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, should completely abolish plea-bargain rather anybody irrespective of his or her background should face the fall weight and wrath of the law with sound jail terms that would deter others from engaging in the criminal act and that would strengthen the fight against corruption under the Tinubu-led administration.

He said: “We are tired of plea-bargains. It is time for us to get justice. Let us sentence those convicted of corruption to death or life imprisonment.

“This approach of plea-bargains not helping the fight against corruption, and if he EFCC continues like this it will affect the vigour we in the Civic space have to expose corrupt persons and also Nigerians will not believe the EFCC to help them recover their stolen money and confiscate the property they acquired with their loots from evil people and also to sentence them to reasonable jail terms.

“How can plea-bargain be a point or option of negotiation with this deadly people as soft landing so they can enjoy their stolen money at the detriment of Nigerians who don’t have access to quality and affordable healthcare services and facilities, potable drinking water, education, employment, road and rail infrastructures, food, security, finance?”

He further stated that, “Nigerians are keenly interested in and are watching the operations of the Olukoyede-led EFCC because they want to see logical conclusions on current high profile cases ongoing.

“The EFCC should live up to expectation not to allow any of these cases be influenced and swept under the carpet.

“There must be accountability from the EFCC to Nigerians following various investigations on these cases, and we also strongly believe that the leadership of EFCC will do the needful to give hope to the over 200 million Nigerians who have been impoverished, some have died and many are wallowing in abject poverty with no solution in sight.”

However, according to the social crusader “the EFCC chairman has recovered over N100 billion from yet to be revealed individuals in the last three months, we must know those individuals and put them to shame if they want this country to move forward.”