CSOs laud Supreme Court’s ruling on anti-graft agencies
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) have lauded the Supreme Court’s judgment, which affirmed the investigative and prosecutorial powers of Nigeria’s key anti-corruption agencies.
The groups noted that the verdict was a significant victory for the rule of law and anti-graft fight in the country.In a statement by its Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (aka Rafsanjani), CISLAC stated that the apex court’s decision to uphold the legitimacy and authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) was a testament to the judiciary’s commitment to ensuring that no individual or entity can hold the country to ransom through frivolous suits.
“We applaud the seven-member panel, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, for their unanimous decision to dismiss the suit filed by the 19 state governments.”
The court’s ruling that the suit lacked merit and its rebuke of the plaintiffs for their selfish intentions behind the legal action sends a strong message that corruption and impunity will not be tolerated,” it added.
CISLAC stated that the court’s affirmation of the investigative and prosecutorial powers of the affected agencies over crimes committed at both the state and federal levels was a crucial step in ensuring accountability and justice.
In his remarks, HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, described the attempts by some state governors to have the EFCC scrapped under the guise of challenging its legality as a brazen attempt to weaken Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework and maintain impunity for political corruption.
According to him, by affirming the EFCC’s constitutionality, the Supreme Court had decisively checked the shenanigans of corrupt politicians.
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