‘Rabbit Chasing Lions’: EFCC, ICPC Too Small Fight Corruption, Al-Mustapha Says

• The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission are not capable of fighting corruption says Al-Mustapha
• According to the former aide to the late Sani Abacha, for Nigeria to move forward, there is a need to first rest the country
• Going further, he listed some of the infrastructure needed to be put in place if there is a genuine desire to make the country better

Hamza Al-Mustapha, presidential candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), says the institutions established to tackle corruption in Nigeria are not well-equipped to handle such matters.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday with Channels Television, Al-Mustapha, a former aide to the late Sani Abacha, said if elected president, he will set up structures and relevant agencies to address corrupt practices.

“In Nigeria, I believe institutions primarily managing security, corruption issues in Nigeria are ill-equipped. They are too small; they are not organised properly,” he said.

Read also

Tinubu to APC women: Tell those seeking change of government to shut up

“A situation with this the way I see it, where you call a rabbit to be the chairman of arresting lions, you know it is semantics. The rabbit will be running around the animal kingdom, but the lion will be sleeping the way it wants and nothing will happen.

“You don’t have national economic intelligence agency or your commission. You also do not have a national electronic agency management of your economy to determine data of corruption in terms of management or domestic activities, international trade, movement of your resources, activities in your banks, central bank, ministry of finance, ministry of national planning and in understanding what they do with your resources.

“How come you don’t have the seeming structures and you want to relate with the international community that you cannot drive? Who do they communicate with? So, once they come, they don’t have relevant agencies they are working with in today’s modern world. How can you manage corruption? So, you have to reset the country first."

Read also

“If a man can steal from himself, he’ll steal without restrain”, Buhari’s minister to Atiku, Ayu, others

Surprise as Buhari's govt okays EFCC's arraignment of famous APC senator

Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been given the approval to arraign Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the N7.9 billion money laundering charges.

The approval was given by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN). Malami's directive to the commission was also issued to the Federal High Court in Abuja, bringing to an end the multiple adjournments which have delayed Senator Oduah's arraignment.

During a court proceeding on Wednesday, October 12, the APC lawmaker and her co-defendants were given February 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, 2023, for arraignment and full-scale accelerated trial as read by Justice Inyang Ekwo.

Source: Legit.ng