The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu has declared that one of the major challenges faced by the agency in its fight against corruption is the league of good senior lawyers in the country.

Speaking on Tuesday at a rally organised by a coalition of Civil Society Groups, Magu lamented the role of the said senior lawyers in defending people that are on trial for corruption or diversion of public funds.

He said: “One of the big challenges we have in the effective prosecution of the war on corruption, is that of very senior lawyers who Nigeria has been very kind to: They who went to good schools here, when Nigeria was good, many of them, on government scholarship; they who Nigeria has given so much opportunity.”

“When we have corruption cases, cases of people who have stolen food from the mouths of our children; when we have cases of people who have stolen money meant to build hospitals and buy drugs; when we have cases of people who have stolen all the money meant to buy guns for our soldiers to fight Boko Haram, when we have all these cases of wicked people who have stolen Nigeria’s money, they run to these same senior lawyers, give them part of the stolen money and mobilise them to fight us, to delay us in court and to deny Nigerians of justice.”

“These are the people who do not want justice for the common man,” the EFCC boss added.

Magu also stated that the press is another challenge the anti-graft agency is facing while explaining that reports of the EFCC not following due process in its activities, are not true.

“Corrupt people hire journalists to abuse us every day, they say we are not doing the work according to the law. But, that is not true. There is no agency that follows the law more than EFCC. None. Before we arrest you, or seize your property or do anything to you, we check the law, we go to court and get court order.”

“That is why we are winning; that is why we are defeating them everyday.”

He urged Nigerians to further support the work of the EFCC, stating that ‘we want the Nigerian people to continue to support us, continue to support Mr. President’s war on corruption’.

“We have many corruption cases in court. We are getting them every day from everywhere and we are recovering stolen money and taking corrupt people to court.”

In conclusion, Magu revealed that the EFCC would keep recovering more stolen funds and ensure that they are put to use properly for the development of the nation.

“The money we have recovered and the money we are going to get back from them -billions and billions of Naira- is being paid back to government and will be used to do what it was originally meant for -to build hospitals, send our children to school, build roads and railways, create employment and defend our country.”

“We have no other country than Nigeria. This war is the war of the people. Apart from the fear of God, we have no other fear. Apart from the interest of Nigeria, we have no other interest. And apart from the Rule of Law, we have no other rule guiding the work we are doing today. The days of impunity are over.”

Adebayo Emuleomo