Corruption: Defecting to APC not a shield from prosecution under Buhari – Keyamo

Thursday, December 6, 2018 1:08 pm

Keyamo

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The defections of alleged corrupt politcians from other political parties into the the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, would not shield them from prosecution under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Mr Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN,and spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization made this declaration in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday December 5, during a Symposium entitled “Corruption:An issue in Nigeria’s Development crisis”.

Keyamo who has been a prosecution lawyer for the the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,further said that because of the doggedness of President Buhari in fighting corruption headlong, some politicians who erroneously thought that defecting from other parties into the ruling APC could shield them from prosecution have been disappointed because they still faced the law.

He cited the examples of former Governor Joshua Dariye,of Plateau state and others who have been jailed.

“Unlike during the previous administration when there were calls from the presidency to EFCC chairmen to hands off investigation of party loyalists, President does not do that. Once you have a case of corruption, no matter how close you are to the President, he never interferes. “

The Senior Advocate also revealed that looted funds recovered from corrupt Nigerians were part of the monies used in funding the 2018 federal budget.

Also speaking on the efforts of EFCC in fighting corruption, the Chairman of the anti graft agency, Ibrahim Magu, who was represented by the head of Operations, Usman Muktar, said that the agency secured 703 convinctions. and recovered over 790 Billion naira, over 261m dollars, over 8m Euros and over £1.5 million pounds since 2015.

In addition to cash recoveries, properties like 407 mansions, Exotic cars, Petrol Filling stations and St Solomon Hospital, Ikeja,lagos

On the accusations that the fight has been focused on the executive at the federal and state levels leaving out the Judiciary, Magu said some judges are on trial and a Senior Advocate has been convicted.

He called on Nigerians to avail themselves of the whistleblower policy to expose corruption and also make huge money from the percentage of recovered funds.