Senior lawyers frustrating FG's anti-corruption war - EFCC boss

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has raised alarm over efforts by some senior legal practitioners to undermine the anti-corruption drive of the pres¬ent administration, vowing that the days of impunity are over.

The EFCC boss decried the deliberate attempt by this class of people to delay court processes, saying this is slowing down the anti-corruption war.
Magu in a speech titled: ‘War on Corruption: Victory is Certain’ which he delivered during a parley with civil society groups in Abuja described as uncharitable those who have benefitted from Nigeria to turn around and help suspected corrupt persons to evade or delay judicial processes.

“One of the big challenges we have in the effective prosecution of the war on corruption is that of very senior lawyers whom Nigeria has been very kind to. They went to good schools here when Nigeria was good; many of them on government scholarship; they were the ones 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.”
He dispelled insinuations that the agency is not following the law in the fight against corruption. According to him, “There is no agency that follows the law more than EFCC. 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”.
He called for support for the agency and the government, saying recovered funds will be applied meaningful to the benefit of the people.