Anti-Corruption Campaign: No one is above the law – Magu

Anti-Corruption Campaign: No one is above the law – Magu

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Ibrahim Mustapha Magu has reiterated his commitment to tackle corruption in a more direct way in order to rid the country of the menace. He also stressed that in the current administration’s bid to exterminate corruption to the extinct level, it was clear given the aggressive approach of the EFCC in dealing with corrupt individuals that no one is above the law
The acting EFCC Chair made this commitment through the Head, Legal and Prosecution Department of the Kano Zonal office of the Commission, Aisha Tahir Habeeb at The All State Governments Conference against Corruption in Commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption Day organized by the Kano State Government in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Justice.
‘’We cannot continue to lament the consequence of corruption, while not doing anything about it. We at the EFCC believe that we need to tackle the cankerworm more directly. That is why, in the last twelve months we have stepped up our enforcement activities. We have taken on the high and mighty and sent out a clear message, that no one is above the law’’. He said.
While calling on all stakeholders to come together and buy in to the anti-graft war, the EFCC boss also lamented that as far as fighting corruption is concern, the burden of this onerous task is not only rested on the shoulders of the anti-corruption agencies in the country, it is war for all Nigerians, men and women, rich and poor. ‘’ I have always maintained that, if we are to succeed in checking corruption in Nigeria, there has to be a buy-in by all stakeholders. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and indeed, all the anti-corruption agencies do not have a monopoly of knowledge as far as this fight against corruption is concerned. All of us, men or women, rich and poor, have equal stake in our country and should be equally motivated in freeing her from the grips of corruption’’. He said.
The EFCC boss also attributed the effect of corruption as the course of the insecurity in the North-Eastern Part of the country and the militancy in the Niger Delta Region.
‘’Ladies and Gentlemen, the effects of corruption on development, peace and security of any nation are obvious for all to see. You will agree with me that corruption is the greatest challenge militating against Nigeria’s development. It is the reason for infrastructure decay that plays a major part in fueling militancy in the Niger Delta Region. It is at the heart of the insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country where the Nigerian troops were denied access to modern weaponry because some people had diverted the funds into private pockets’’. He said.
The chairman of the Public Complains and Anti Corruption Commission, Kano Muhuyi Rimingado, in his remark lauded the support his commission enjoyed from the EFCC. He expressed his appreciation over the last visit the EFCC Chairman made to his commission’s Head Office in Kano during which the EFCC boss promised to allow the Kano Anti-Corruption Commission make use of the EFCC forensic laboratory whenever the need arises as part of the EFCC’s collaboration with the Kano Anti-corruption commission.