…Accuses his successor, Waziri, of inflicting damage on EFCC

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA — Former chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday, accused the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa and the Former Chairman of EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri of trying during his tenure to destroy the commission by inflicting “serious damage”on it and which the commission is still trying to recover. He also insisted that lawyers were equally doing “serious damage” to the war against corruption in the country.

Ribadu

Ribadu revealed that while he was in charge of the anti-graft agency, some senior legal practitioners made frantic efforts to compromise him.

He alleged that Aondoakaa, frustrated the prosecution of so many high profile cases.

He said the erstwhile AGF “later found a partner in Mrs. Farida Waziri,” who he said “inflicted serious damage on the EFCC from which the commission is still struggling to recover.”

Mrs. Waziri took over from Ribadu as chairman of the EFCC.

Meanwhile, Ribadu, who made the allegations in a paper he presented at the 2016 Annual Lecture organised by the Law Chambers of Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama, SAN, with the theme: “Corruption and the nation’s economy: Lawyers as change agents,” highlighted some cases he said were frustrated by lawyers.

Aondoakaa

Cases frustrated by lawyers

He said one of such cases was the $180 million Halliburton bribery scandal, stressing that it was equally unfortunate that 10 years after corruption charges were entered against some former governors, the cases had not gone anywhere due to delayed tactics employed by senior lawyers.

Ribadu said: “One thing that also did a serious damage to the war against corruption was the active connivance of some senior lawyer who represented the governors we charged to courts after the 2007 election.”

“It is on record that we charged the former governors of Jigawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Plateau, Enugu, Ekiti, Delta, Abia and Edo states as the first set of ex-governors to face prosecution.”

“However, almost 10 years after, most of the cases have not gone anywhere because of deliberate action by lawyers to frustrate the trials.

Farida Waziri, EFCC boss

“Surprisingly, some lawyers who found themselves in government, also worked against the fight against corruption.

“Take the case of Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, whose most cardinal agenda as the AGF seemed to be destroying EFCC by every means possible and frustrating all the cases.

“In that regard, he attempted to take over the prosecutorial powers of the commission, which would have rendered the EFCC a toothless bulldog. But, of course, we resisted.

“He later found a partner in Mrs. Farida Waziri, who inflicted serious damage on the EFCC from which the commission is still struggling to recover.

The Halliburton scandal

“Corrupt practices that were unheard of became widespread and outside lawyers were brought in to handle very important cases that sometimes were turned into avenues of making money.”

“One of such cases is the Halliburton scandal. We did all the work and took the investigation to a very advanced stage but the case was handed over to private lawyers who connived with some officials to feather their nests from it.”

“The lawyers ended up earning more than even the government, to the anguish of those diligent workers who built the case.”

“That was a very unprofessional practice and against global best practice. The US and the UK, who had similar cases, did not involve any private lawyer to handle it for them.

“All these are today pieces of history but as the saying goes; truth is constant while lies fizzle out.  More than any other professional groups, lawyers are in charge of an entire arm of government, the Judiciary.

“Lawyers are in charge of the Judiciary and by its strategic place in the power equation in democratic setting, the Judiciary has the capacity to bring corruption to its knees and solve myriads of our national problems.”

Among dignitaries at the event were heads of various courts in the country, as well as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was represented by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Musa Datijjo.