Several
army officers who were asked to compulsorily retire from active service
are set to fall under the heavy hammer of the EFCC.
A probe into the activities of the 38 soldiers, who were
compulsorily retired by the Nigerian Army recently will soon be launched
by the The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The anti-graft body gave this assurance, when a human rights group,
Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Advocacy Centre protested to the
commission, demanding the probe of the soldiers.
It will be recalled that the soldiers were retired last week by the military authorities following their alleged involvement in the arms deal fraud.
According to Vanguard, the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, told the protesters that his office will look into their demands.
Magu, who was represented by Mr. Osita Nwajah, Director in charge
of publicity of the commission said the chairman will do justice to all
the petition that comes before him and added that the one brought by the
rights group will not be an exception.
Magu said, “We commend the Human Rights and Advocacy Centre for
leading the war against corruption. The war is total and it is not
limited to individuals or organisations. It is not limited to any
professional group. It is for every Nigerian.
“We are very encouraged by this solidarity visit and the
request you have made. The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, a man of
courage, who has demonstrated this by the mandate Nigerians gave him,
will do justice to every petition that comes before him.
“This petition you have brought before him will not be an exception”, he said.
Leaders of the rights group, Adah Douglas and Barrister Oboh John,
who spoke on behalf of the group at the anti-graft agency’s office said
the Nigerian Army have taken a stand and therefore have no reason to
doubt them that the sack of top alleged corrupt officers is timely and
inevitable having been carried out in accordance with the Armed Forces
Act, Cap A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The group told the EFCC chairman that the proper thing the Federal
Government of Nigeria ought to have done ab initio is to outrightly
dismiss the affected officers and hand them over to the EFCC for
prosecution, particularly due to their involvement in the defence
procurement fraud.
“This would have paved way for recovery of billions of naira
and serve as deterrence to other criminally minded public officials. We
are even more worried by the emerging facts that the sacked officers are
hell bent on using their illegally acquired wealth to disrupt the
fragile peace we are presently enjoying in Nigeria”, the group said.
The group, also demanded that the EFCC should as a matter of
urgency arrest the sacked army officers and activate Sections 28, 29 and
34 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act,
2004 by tracing and attaching all their assets and properties as well
as freezing their bank accounts in the interim.
They also demanded, “That the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission should press charges of corruption and economic crimes
against the sacked army officers. When they are eventually convicted,
the Commission should ensure the confiscation and forfeiture of their
illegally acquired assets and properties to the Federal Government of
Nigeria pursuant to Section 30 of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.
“That Mr. President must be wary of the monstrous plans by the
sacked officers in conjunction with other top officers hiding within the
military and paramilitary to throw Nigeria into unimaginable crisis.
Every attempt to truncate our democracy and return Nigeria to the dark
days of military rule must be resisted.
“That all local and international sister Civil Society
Organizations must brace up to the challenges of wrestling Nigeria out
of the greedy hands of the sacked “officers” who in their hay days in
service were actually “politicians”.
The quest for justice for the innocent souls lost to the dreaded
Boko Haram sect as a result of corruption and ineptitude of these
shenanigans must be sustained”.
The protesters, numbering about 500 marched to the Unity Fountain
where they are holding a sit out till evening and with a demand to
occupy the EFCC headquarters after one week, if the commission fails to
act
