Falana reveals why it is illegal for FG to lay claim to £4.2million Ibori loot
- A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has disagreed with FG’s plan to lay claim to the £4.2million looted by ex-Delta State governor, James Ibori
- Falana disclosed why the action of the government is unjust
- The senior lawyer is the latest Nigerian to criticise the FG for planning to use the Ibori loot for federal projects
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A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has explained why the £4.2million looted by ex-Delta State governor, James Ibori should be returned to Niger Delta state.
Falana told Channels TV in an interview that the federal government cannot lay claim to the fund under any law.
Source: Twitter
The lawyer commended the federal government for pursuing the recovery of the looted funds. He, however, pointed out that the just thing to do is to return the money from where it was stolen.
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He said:
“Since the money left the covers of the Delta State Government, it has to be returned once it is recovered.”
He explained that the Delta state government is the victim of corruption and has to be compensated.
Falana based his argument on Article 35 of the United Nations Convention. He said that legislation stipulates that any proceed recovered from corruption should be expended on the victims.
Meanwhile, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), has condemned the plan by the federal government to use the returned Ibori's loot from the United Kingdom to fund federal projects.
Sagay who is currently the chairman of, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the funds are only used in Delta state, where the former governor hails from.
He said using the latest £4.2million (N2.2billion) tranche of the Ibori loot to fund the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the Abuja-Kano railway would be unjust since such projects would have no direct impact on the lives of the people of Delta.
In another report, the House of Representatives has faulted the federal government’s plan to spend the £4.2million James Ibori loot.
The lawmakers on Wednesday, March 10, asked the federal government to ensure that recovered loot is returned to the Delta state government.
According to Channels TV, the House argued that the money was stolen from Delta State and as such should rightly be returned to the state.
Kess Ewubare is a senior political/current affairs correspondent at Legit.ng. He has both a BSc and a Master’s degree in mass communication. He has over 10 years of experience in working in several fields of mass communication including radio, TV, newspaper, and online. For Kess, journalism is more than a career, it is a beautiful way of life.
Source: Legit.ng
