The National Anti- Corruption Watch (NACW) has urged the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami not to interfere in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s probe of Brigadier General Jafaru Mohammed, the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Following Mohammed’s petition to the AGF, the group urged Malami against using his office to shield persons of interest in corruption probes from being investigated.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Aboki Sulyman, on Tuesday, the NACW said Mohammed must be accountable, especially for industrial-scale looting of the money meant for purchasing arms and military hardware under the National Security Adviser.
Rather than hamper investigation, the group urged the AGF to prevail on Jafaru Mohammed to cooperate with investigators so that he can speed up his appearance in court if indicted.
The group, however, vowed to follow up the probe, adding that it would recourse to all available legal means to ensure that justice must prevail.
Read the full statement below:
The National Anti- Corruption Watch (NACW) is concerned to learn about the petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by one Brigadier General Jafaru Mohammed, the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
We are worried that, of all possible defences, Jafaru Mohammed alleged “witch-hunt and personal vendetta” as a reason for the EFCC investigation. This is nothing but a shallow attempt at turning the truth on its head.
NACW appeals to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to whom Jafaru Mohammed’s petition was addressed, not to lend his office out for shielding persons of interest in corruption probes from being investigated.
We expect the Minister of Justice and Nigerians at large to note that the kind of blackmail contained in the said petition is a staple of those that once looted this country to the point of bankruptcy. While not advocating for the rights and freedom of citizens to be arbitrarily abridged, it is pertinent to also insist that those found to have been tainted with corruption in the course of serving the country are properly investigated and tried when indicted.
Nigerians must not forget too soon that the industrial-scale looting of the money meant for purchasing arms and military hardware under the National Security Adviser, whom Jafaru Mohammed served, was responsible in large part for the security challenges facing the country today. It is therefore a travesty that the person who held the purse while our commonwealth was looted can now be alleging witch-hunt and vendetta.
NACW, therefore, calls on the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to allow the investigation of Brigadier General Jafaru Mohammed to continue without distractions as this is what his petition amounts to.
Nigeria wants Malami to allow EFCC to function without Interference as this is the only approach that will enable to the country rout corruption, which has remained the greatest problem facing the country. Rather than hampering investigation into the activities of the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Attorney-General should rather prevail on Jafaru Mohammed to cooperate with investigators so that he can speed up his appearance in court if indicted.
NACW consequently puts the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice on notice that we would be closely watching the handling of Jafaru Mohammed’s petition to ensure that is it not used as smokescreen for eroding the independence of EFCC and cripple its ability to thoroughly investigate corruption. If Nigerians can establish interference on the part of the AGF, NACW will recourse to all available legal means to ensure that such unacceptable behaviour is halted before it does damage the credibility of the anti-corruption agency.