By Dickson Omobola

Human Rights advocate, Funmi Falana, has decried growing cases of corruption in Nigeria, and also argued that corrupt judges are a reflection of the Nigerian society.

Falana, who lamented that since independence, Nigeria has reportedly lost over $582 billion to corruption, further called for an end to plea bargain.

She spoke at an event themed: ‘Engaging Young Stakeholders in Attaining Global Cooperation in the Fight Against Corruption and Repatriation of Illicit Assets,’ organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA Resource Centre, in collaboration with Integrity Initiatives International (III) and supported by the MacArthur Foundation in Lagos.

The rights activist claimed that one of the major problems in Nigeria was impunity, and added that people steal money and enter a plea bargain after which they would be freed.

On corrupt Nigerians becoming judges, she said: “Corruption has no face. It is not a respecter of class or person. If judges are taken from Nigerians, and we know Nigerians are corrupt, of course there is the likelihood. I want to categorically say that not all judges are corrupt. If we have any judge that is corrupt, the name should be mentioned. Judges may be corrupt because they are taken from Nigerians, and we have agreed that there are Nigerian people who are corrupt. If Nigerian people are corrupt, and judges are Nigerians, it could be a chunk of the people taken from the populace. But that does not mean that the whole sector is corrupt.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of HEDA, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, said the theme was conceived to inspire young people to join in the fight against corruption.

He said: “Those that are in the habit of perpetrating corruption are not relenting, and new mechanisms are devised by them to ensure that they continue with the looting, and even recruit new people. But it has to be the duty of the civil society, the media and the citizens to understand that the money and property that are looted are public funds that can be used for the good of the people in terms of providing water, electricity, school, good roads and better condition of life.

“The absence of that is what you have in the assets, like the 353 properties that were discovered recently in Abuja, the billions of dollars that were looted by Abacha, even some of the people who are serving in the current government as ministers, governors, are also under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.”