HURIWA ASKS EFCC, NIGERIA POLICE, NDLEA TO STOP MEDIA PERSECUTION OF ACCUSED PERSONS

For the umpteenth time, the leading civil rights advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the law enforcement agencies in the Country to obey the constitution and put a permanent stop to their practice of pre-trial media parade of accused persons.  

In a media statement issued to mark the one year anniversary of the nationwide #ENDSARS PROTESTS, the civil rights advocacy group through the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said the continuous parade of suspects increasingly portrays Nigeria as a Banana Republic whereby the Constitution is defecated upon by the same publicly paid employees who should enforce the law just as the Rights group said in developed societies, identity of crime suspects are revealed after they are convicted by competent courts of law. 

HURIWA said it is in discussion with stakeholders on what legal steps to take to compel law enforcement agencies to follow the law and stop media parade of accused persons in Nigeria. 

The following are our determination regarding media persecution of suspects: 

What is Parade?

The word ‘parade’ means to display (someone or something) while marching or moving around a place. Synonyms include, procession, march, display, spectacle, escort, etc. The word “suspect” in legal parlance means a person thought to be guilty of a crime or offence, but who has not yet been proven to be so.

What is Media Parade?

Media consists of means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the internet) regarded collectively. The term “parade” is a noun and a verb. As a noun, it means a public procession. When used as a verb, it means to display. Regardless of the form in which it is used, a parade is an over act.

Media parade is therefore, a practice of displaying or communicating to the public about an incident or development. In the case of people arrested for certain crimes, it is a means of informing the public, usually through publishing on the internet, the identities of these suspects.

The practice has become notorious in Nigeria, that once security agencies arrest anyone suspected to have committed an offence, such suspects are immediately paraded before the public, in the full glare of cameras.A clear case is the case of chidimma ojukwu a 21 years old undergraduate of Lagos state university mass communication who was alleged to have killed the CEO of super TV ,Usifo  Ataga ,in Lagos recently. But in another trending follow – up video,the young lady made a dramatic U- turn , curiously recanting her earlier “confession” before the media during her initial parade in the police premises.she denied ever killing Ataga.

Media parade is therefore, a practice of displaying or communicating to the public about an incident or development. In the case of people arrested for certain crimes, it is a means of informing the public, usually through publishing on the internet, the identities of these suspects.

The practice has become notorious in Nigeria, that once security agencies arrest anyone suspected to have committed an offence, such suspects are immediately paraded before the public, in the full glare of cameras.

such crude practice undermines the investigation process. Worse still, it defames the suspect’s reputation in an irreversible manner, where such a suspect is eventually proven innocent.

The courts have consistently cautioned the law enforcement agencies, to desist from parading criminal suspects before the media.

It is more worrisome that these parades and media trials by the Police, of people who are at best suspects, usually take place even before investigations begin, or are concluded. This act is patently unconstitutional and unlawful. It is curious that such practice has since been accepted as normal, by individuals and the society. For the avoidance of doubt, every suspect enjoys the constitutional protection of ‘presumption of innocence’ until proven guilty under Section 36(5) CFRN 1999. The suspect is also entitled to dignity of his human person, by virtue of Section 34(1)(a) of the CFRN 1999.

Right of Suspects to Presumption of Innocence

The presumption of innocence inures in favour of criminal suspects by virtue of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act. Even the ACJA makes ample provisions for dignity of human treatment of suspects, in addition to Section 34 CFRN1999, which provides for the right to dignity of the human person. The Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria have, however, continued to expose accused persons to media trial before arraigning them in courts. Thus, the practice of subjecting suspects to media trial and parade before arraignment in a criminal court, is an infringement of their fundamental rights to fair hearing and dignity. To compound these human rights abuse inclination, such suspects are subjected to gruelling sessions of interviews and what appears to be “cross-examination” by law enforcement officials and the media crew at crowded press conferences, without being accorded human dignity and the services of a Lawyer as required by law.

Supreme Court expounded on them in the case of SAUDE v ABUDULLAH (1989) 4 NWLR Pt. 116 page 387 @419, as:

“Fundamental rights are important, and they are not just mere rights. They are fundamental. They belong to the citizen. These rights have always existed, even before orderliness prescribed rules for the manner they are to be sought….”

It is a right which stands above the ordinary laws of the land, and which in fact is antecedent to the political society itself. As Kayode Eso, J.S.C of blessed memory succinctly stated, “[i]t is a primary condition to a civilised existence”. (RANSOME KUTI & ORS v A.G. OF FEDERATION & ORS (1985) 2 NWLR P. 211 at 230). He further pronounced that “[i]t is a right which stands above the ordinary laws of the land and which in fact, is antecedent to the political society itself.”

Some Judicial Decisions on Media Parade of Criminal Suspects

The Judiciary has always risen to the occasion, castigating suspects’ parade. It has, in a plethora of cases, serially condemned the illegal practice of parading mere criminal suspects before the media. The “jungle justice” inherent in it, is that it adjudges them already as guilty convicts even without any trial. In NDUKWEM CHIZIRI NICE v AGF & ANOR (2007) CHR 218 at 232, Banjoko J. (as she then was) (then of Federal High Court, Abuja), tongue-lashed the Police, holding that:

“The act of parading him (the suspect) before the press as evidenced by the Exhibits annexed to the affidavit was uncalled for, and a callous disregard for his person. He was shown up to the public the next day of his arrest, even without any investigation conducted in the matter. He was already prejudged by the Police who are incompetent, so to have such function, it is the duty of the court to pass a verdict of guilt, and this constitutes a clear breach of Section 36(4) and (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 on the doctrine of fair hearing

Further, the courts have in several decisions condemned such public parade of criminal suspects as an illegal practice. For example, in Ndukwem Chiziri Nice v. AG, Federation & Anor. (2007) CHR 218 at 232 Justice Banjoko held that ‘The act of parading him (the suspect) before the press as evidenced by the Exhibits annexed to the affidavit was uncalled for and a callous disregard for his person.’

“Similarly, Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human Rights Activist in a 2017 article,gave an example of one of such court cases: the Ecowas Community Court of Justice sitting in Abuja in Dyot Bayi & 14 Ors. v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004-2009) CCJLER 245 at 265 the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS Court condemned what it called ‘media trial’ of the Applicants in the following words: ‘The Court is of the opinion that for the fact that the Defendants presented the Applicants before the press when no judge or court has found them guilty, certainly constitute a violation of the principle of presumption of innocent.the court proceeded to award damages of US $42,750.00 to each of the 10 Applicants and the US $10,000.00 as costs payable by the Federal Government for the illegal actions of the Naval personnel who carried out the illegal parade of the applicants.”

COMRADE EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO:

NATIONAL COORDINATOR:

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). 

From $2.1 billion left by Jonathan, Buhari depletes excess crude account to $60 million

President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime has announced that Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account (ECA) balance as of October stands at $60, 857,773.43, a drastic depletion from the $2.1 billion left by Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Clem Agba, the minister of state for budget and national planning gave the update during the national economic council meeting at the State House in Abuja on Friday, according to a statement by Laolu Akande, spokesperson to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

“Excess Crude Account (ECA) balance as at 13th October 2021 stands at $60, 857,773.43; Stabilisation Account, balance as at 13th October stands at N25,009,892,511.55; Development of Natural Resources Account balance as at 13th October 2021 stands at N56,144,024,000.71,” the statement said.

As of July 13, NEC announced that the excess account balance stood at $60.8 million while stabilisation account was N26.3 billion with the natural resources account balance standing at N23.5 billion.

The ECA, created in 2004 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the sole aim of saving oil revenue in excess of the budgeted benchmark, stood at $3.6 billion in February 2014, one of the highest balances on record.

In 2015, the former minister of finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala disclosed that the country earned $61.7 billion (about N12.3 trillion) as excess crude oil money between 2011 and 2015.

The minister said Nigeria earned about $18.14 billion in 2011; $18.16 billion in 2012; $15.19 billion in 2013; $8.01 billion in 2014, and $2.17 billion in 2015.

As of August 2015, after Mr Buhari assumed office, it stood at $2.2 billion but it gradually depleted.

The Central Bank of Nigeria in its 2018 report said that the country’s excess crude account fell from $2.45 billion in 2017 to $480 million as of December 2018.

Statistics from the ministry of finance had also revealed that the Buhari regime withdrew N1.5 trillion (about $4.92bn) between 2015 and 2019 from the account. $1 billion was withdrawn in 2017 on basis that it will be used to procure arms and train personnel in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

A 2020 analysis by BudgIT, a civic organisation had indicated that Nigeria’s excess crude oil under Mr Buhari stood at $631 million in December 2018, $324 million in October 2019, and fell to $70 million in February 2020.

[Gazette]

How El-Rufai Created A Territory In Kaduna And Appointed Son’s Friend As Administrator

Muhammad Hafiz Bayero, a bosom friend of Bello El-Rufai, eldest son of the Governor of Kaduna State, is the administrator of Kaduna Capital Territory.

The territory is one of the three that came into existence under the administration of the incumbent governor of the state.

While announcing the appointment of Bayero, Muyiwa Adekeye, spokesman of the governor, said the law creating metropolitan authorities to manage Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria as organic cities had been passed.

He also announced the appointments of two other administrators who are on the same rank with Bayero.

They are Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa, Administrator, Zaria Metropolitan Authority, and Phoebe Sukai Yayi, Administrator, Kafanchan Municipal Authority.

Sukai, a senior civil servant, served as the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education.

Bayero had earlier served as the governor’s Special Adviser on Inter-Governmental Relations.

As special adviser, he was responsible for maintaining the Kaduna State government’s relations with other arms of government, investors and development partners, operating out of the federal capital, Abuja.

He was later appointed Managing Director of Kaduna Market Development Agency.
He joined El-Rufai’s government in June 2015 as Special Assistant-Job Creation. He is part of the founding team of the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA).

28-year-old Khalil Nur Khalil has just been appointed as the Executive Secretary of KADIPA.

Khalil, a first-class graduate from the Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus, holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics.

[Dailytrust]

HURIWA TO AGF/EFCC: GO AFTER PANDORA PAPERS’ Real SUSPECTS, LEAVE OLANREWAJU SIRAJU OF HEDA ALONE

Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described as ‘satanic’, grossly disturbing and a global embarrassment, the conspiratorial silence of the current federal administration to the damaging revelations disclosed about certain current political office holders (excluding Peter Obi) especially some of the Senators, Governors belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Rights group says it has studied the revelations in greater details and finds nothing wrong about the former governor of Anambra State Mr. Peter Obi who the Rights group described as a very clean, transparent and trustworthy self-made rich man who was already very prosperous before venturing into politics. The Rights group wonders why Premium Times spent undue time talking about Peter Obi and then before divulging other bigger fishes in the said scams. 
However the group said the total media black out and lack of any sort of executive or prosecutorial actions by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami against his (Malami’s) Kebbi State governor and kinsman linked to the Abacha loots, the Acting managing Director of Nigerian ports Authority Mr. Mohammed Koko and the Anambra North Senator Mrs. Stella Odua who is about to be forgiven and granted soft landing by president Buhari for cross carpeting into APC from PDP that gave her mandate to represent her constituency in the Senate of the 9th session and importantly, the silence on the fact that the Osun State governor allegedly bought a London mansion belonging to Mr. Aluko implicated in the massive heists of NNPC’S resources by erstwhile petrol minister and fugitive Mrs. Allison Madulkwe, shows that there is no longer any crusade against corruption. HURIWA said it was scandalous that the President visited erstwhile Lagos State governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly in the same allegedly criminally acquired mansion in London. 
“We are even the more disturbed that rather than wage a clean war against corruption, the government is using carrot and stick approach to lure allegedly corrupt members of the previous government to cross carpet into APC and then receive political pardon. How then do you want the EFCC to work genuinely against corruption when the officials see their suspects dining and wining at the Presidential Villa with President Muhammadu Buhari who is the appointing authority of the EFCC’s hierarchy?”

HURIWA condemned the decision of the Federal Attorney General to look away from the revelations emerging from the Pandora papers but he has instead began a war of Vendetta against anti-corruption campaigner Mr. Siraju Olarewaju.
HURIWA recalled with considerable consternation and shock that the Federal Government filed charges against Chairman of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, for allegedly cyberstalking former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Mohammed Adoke.
The suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/370/2021, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, is coming six months after Suraju was arrested by the police following a petition by the former AGF.
The police had on April 15 interrogated Suraju over a forgery petition by Adoke, demanding probe of email evidence presented against him by prosecutors in the Malabu trial in Milan, Italy, admitting that the Malabu transaction was a scam.
According to the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. A.O. Shaibu, the HEDA boss’ actions violate Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, with the aim to dent the image of Mr. Adoke.
In count one, Suraju is accused of intentionally circulating an audio telephone interview between Ms. Carlamaria Rumur, a reporter with RIAReporter in Italy and Mohammed Adoke via his twitter handle @HEDAagenda, which he knew to be false, for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
In count 2, Suraju is accused of committing the same alleged offence in count one through the Twitter handle @HEDAResourcecentre.
In count 3, he is accused of intentionally circulating an email dated June 21, 2011, alleged to have been sent with the email address agroupproperties@yahoo.com owned by A Group Properties and received by a certain Osoluke Bayo O. with the email address bayo.o.osoluke@ipmorgan, “which you knew to be false via your Twitter handle @HEDAagenda for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and hereby committed an offense contrary to section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.” 
HURIWA  has therefore asked the AGF to end the persecution of this anti-graft crusader but should focus on truly waging result oriented war against corruption. 
HURIWA recalled that the media reported that The acting Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, is allegedly involved in offshore shenanigans, hiding behind two shell companies incorporated in a tax and secrecy haven to anonymously invest in the United Kingdom property market, potentially violating Nigeria’s public service code of conduct laws, the ongoing Pandora Papers reporting has revealed.
Mr Bello-Koko according to media estimation is possibly hoping to be confirmed the substantive NPA chief by President Muhammadu Buhari. The current substantive head of the agency, Hadiza Bala-Usman, remains on suspension following her disagreement with the transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi. It is unclear if she would be recalled with a probe of her tenure seemingly unending.
Mr Bello-Koko, with his wife, Agatha Anne Koko, enlisted the services of financial secrecy seller, Cook Worldwide and Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee (Alcogal), an offshore law firm, to register Coulwood Limited (reg. number: 1487897) and Marney Limited (reg. number: 1487944) in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), one of the world’s most commonly used tax havens, in 2008. Both companies were registered the same day, June 19, 2008.
 
 

BREAKING: EFCC officials storm Kaduna Development Agency (KASUPDA), arrest DG

Officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday stormed the headquarters of Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency (KASUPDA) and whisked away the Director General, Malam Ismail Umaru Dikko.

KASUPDA has gained the reputation of Kaduna’s most feared agency due to its demolition of properties across the state.

Its boss, Dikko, was a Special Assistant to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, before he was elevated to head the agency in 2019.

Daily Trust gathered that the DG was in a meeting with his staff when officials of the EFCC took over the office premises a few minutes after 10am.

Eye witnesses said there was some commotion before the DG entered a black hilux Toyota vehicle of the EFCC.

Sources said two EFCC officials in suit, with two police officers with rifles had accompanied the KASUPDA boss into the vehicle.

The source said the staff at KASUPDA had earlier tried to stop the EFCC from leaving with the DG and security at the gate had prevented the car from exiting.

However, the DG had asked the security to open the gate.

Our correspondent gathered that the DG has been taken to the Kaduna zonal office of the EFCC with sources saying that he had earlier been served several invitations but failed to honour them.

[Daily Trust]

Buhari Budgets N24.5billion For Presidency Office Building, Travels, Meals In 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari is proposing to spend N24,534,666,371 for the construction and provision of office building, local and foreign travels, meals and refreshments.

This was contained in the 2022 appropriation bill he presented to the joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday.

According to details contained in the appropriation bill, the President will spend about N2,309,066,788 on general travel and transport with code 220201 while N301,138,860 will be spent on foodstuff and catering supply.

There is an additional N30,652,500 to be spent on refreshments and meals while the provision/construction of office building takes the lion share of N21,974,763,310.

In the 2021 budget, Muhammadu Buhari had sought approval of N17.3billion to run the State House, Nigeria’s seat of power.

About N3.4billion of the approved expenditure for 2021 was also allocated to feeding and travel expenses for the Offices of the President and the Vice President.

The former gets about N2.6billion, while the latter will gulp about N873million.

[Saharareporters]

BREAKING: Abdulrasheed Maina’s son sentenced to 24 years imprisonment

A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced Faisal Maina, son of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce Team, to 24 years in prison.

In the judgment delivered on Thursday, Okon Abang, trial judge, found Faisal guilty on a three-count money laundering charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Okon, who handed down a five-year jail term for count one bordering on money laundering offenses, sentenced Faisal to 14 years imprisonment on count two.

The judge, thereafter, sentenced Faisal to five years prison terms on count three which bordered on asset declaration offense.

Okon ruled that the prison terms would run concurrently.

Justice Abang had fixed the matter for judgment after the then Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, adopted the commission”s final written address and urged the court to convict Faisal in all the three counts leveled against him, “the prosecution having proved the case beyond all reasonable doubt.”

(Guardian)

SHOCKING: Senate confirms Buhari’s EFCC board nominee who started school before birth

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of the nominees for the Secretary and Board members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission submitted by the President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

One of them was Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad who was said to have started his primary school before he was born.

The Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, however, cleared the nominee and others in the report presented by Senator Suleiman Kwari (Kaduna North).

Earlier, Senator Hassan Hadejia from Jigawa North East, had said the Curriculum Vitae submitted by Muhammad indicated that he started school before he was born.

Hadejia said, “Let me bring to the notice of the House, certain discrepancies in the report that are contradictory especially with regards to one of the nominee, Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad on page 8.

The nominee, according to the record before us, started his primary school before he was born.  There is also an overlap in the sequence of his educational experience because here, he was born on 29th September, 1969 and he started his Central Primary school in 1968.

“He was in Borno Teachers College from 1975 and 1988 while simultaneously he was in the College of Administration Studies from 1980 to 1981.

If these are typographical errors Mr (Senate) President, maybe we should have them corrected for the sake of our record.

The Senate, however, confirmed the appointment of Muhammad.

Also, George Ekungu from Cross River State was confirmed as Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Also confirmed by the red chamber are Luqman Muhammed (Edo); Anumba Adaeze (Enugu); Alhaji Kola Adesina (Kwara) and Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad (Yobe) as board members of the EFCC.

Kwari had told the senators that the nominees were thoroughly screened and found worthy of holding the positions.

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who presided over the plenary, congratulated the nominees.

(Punch)

EFCC arrests Ganduje’s wife over bribery, land fraud case reported by her son

The Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested Hafsat Ganduje, the wife of Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

According to a report by Premium Times, Mrs Ganduje was reported to the anti-graft agency by her son over her alleged involvement in bribery and land fraud.

According to sources who saw the son, Abdulazeez’s petition, he reported that he was approached by a property developer to help facilitate the acquisition of some plots of land in Kano with some hundreds of thousands of US dollars and at least 35 million Naira as “facilitation commission”.

Abdulazeez said he paid the sum in dollars to his mother, Mrs Ganduje.

She however failed to honour the anti-graft’s invite after weeks it was extended.

A person, who has the knowledge of the arrest but asked not to be identified, said “she was arrested this (Monday) evening.”

Mrs Ganduje was still at EFCC headquarters as of 6a.m. on Monday, this newspaper learnt.

More details soon…

(Newswire)

Alleged Mismanagement Of N467m: Senate Committee Is A Blackmailing Tool-: HURIWA Alleges

The report emanating from the 9th session of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Retd. Gen. Muhammad Buba Marwa has shunned the investigative hearing by the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly on the alleged mismanagement of N467 million, has been described as a blackmail and a media spin automated and escalated by the Senate Committee in an attempt to bamboozle, intimidate and harass the Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA into submission for a behind the doors negotiation for consequential Financial inducements.

Prominent pro-democracy and Not-for-profit organisation- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the Senate to stop the unnecessary distractions targeted at the maximum disruption of the effectiveness and overwhelming combative approaches against dreaded hard drugs’ barons and traffickers currently being waged vigorously by the just appointed Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency Retired Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa who wasn’t the person in charge at the time of the alleged financial infractions being investigated by the Senate.  

“HURIWA is in the possession of unassailable evidence that the current leadership of NDLEA were never served with any summons or invitations by the Senate Public accounts Committee headed by Senator Mathew Uroghide. How do you go to the media and cast aspersions on the head of a government agency who is unaware that his presence is required before the Senators? This ambushing pattern is the past time of the National Assembly members aimed at deploying the media of mass communication to first demonise a public office holder with seemingly yet unblemished records and then to go behind to engage in negotiations for alleged bribes for the members.”

“Since the year 2019 both houses of the National Assembly have done the same things to many Federal agencies yet this same National Assembly has been unable to specifically stop some notoriously corrupt Directors General of agencies only because those ones have special packages for the National Assembly members. This same blackmailing tool was deployed by the Senate against STARTIMES/NTA and when it would seemed the National Assembly and the Chinese led management of STARTIMES have gone behind the doors to allegedly  exchange monetary funds and bribes then the attacks against NTA/STARTIMES stopped and the accusations that STARTIMES was guilty  of capital flight flew away through the windows of the National Assembly and it has been business as usual.” 

“Our investigation showed that indeed there were established case of inducements that go on as soon as the National Assembly committees shouts like mad dogs in the media and the fearful Chief executives go for settlement of the matter which would be over and there would be silence of the graveyards and the media won’t ask the Senators about the status of those investigations.”

HURIWA recalled that the Senate Committee claimed that it’s disagreement with NDLEA stemmed  from a memorandaum from the Auditor-General of the Federation in file  number B/2009/OAGF/CAD/026/V dated 24th March, 2009, which stipulates that ‘All Accounting Officers and officers controlling expenditures are to ensure that all local procurement of stores and services costing above N200,000.00 shall be made only by No. award of contracts’. The Chairman/Chief Executive should recover the sum of N8,629,600.00, as this cannot be regarded as a legitimate charge against public funds.

The Senate accused NDLEA’S 2016 management thus: “The Director-General used green ink in giving approval for payments. This contravened Financial Regulation 3002 which restricts the use of green ink to the staff of the Auditor-General for the Federation. “The Chairman/Chief Executive should henceforth restrain the Director-General from this practice. All the issues raised were brought to the attention of the Chairman/Chief Executive, but no response was received from the NDLEA”.

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA has therefore called the National Assembly as a cesspool of corruption for seeking to deploy media platforms to demonise officials of government agencies especially those very few persons that for now appear to be accountable and transparent and try to humiliate them into submission to allegedly play their bribes seeking gambit.

HURIWA accused the Senate of similarly blackmailing the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA which was grilled by the Senate over a joint venture arrangement entered into between the agency and a Chinese media firm, Beijing Star Group, in 2008 known as NTA-Star TV Network.

“HURIWA followed the trajectory of this botched investigation which actually was a blackmailing tool by the politicians to compel financial inducements because the Senators then alleged that there were ‘staggering revelations’ of how officials of NTA allegedly connived with Joint Venture Partners, Star Times to defraud the country.The Senate said that a total of N200 billion was missing and carted out of the country which represents what would have been remitted as profits since 2008.

The Upper Chamber then called for a Special Investigation into the record books of NTA/Star Times Joint Venture asking the Management to return roughly N200billion generated since 2008.”

HURIWA recalled that the alleged bribe seeking law makers  again stoked up trouble again when the Director-General, NTA, Yakubu Ibn Mohammed appeared before the Senator Olamilekan Adeola, All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos West led Senate Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning Stakeholders on the details of the 2021and 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) forwarded last month by President Muhammadu Buhari to present NTA’s projections.” 

” HURIWA  learnt that then the  Senate also asked the NTA to go full Commercial, just as it has mandated the Budget Office to remove the Organisation from the Federal Government Budget for the government to stop paying salaries, carrying out capital and other expenditure, adding that with this, the NTA will not come to the National Assembly to defend budgets anymore. However, the Rights group accused the Senate of sale out because the NTA/STARTIMES still operate under sane templates that brought about the investigative hearing by the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly but nothing more is heard from the noisy neighbours of corrupt Directors General of federal agencies- National Assembly”.

The Rights group accused the National Assembly of habitual bribes seeking gambit just as it recalled that the Senate had then in year 2020 accused NTA/Star Times of coming up with incoherent financial records to show that it spent a total of N19 billion; leaving a shortfall of N8 billion in 2018 to justify earlier claims that the business had yielded nothing.

“According to the Chairman of the Senate Committee, Solomon Olamilekan said the reason NTA officials kept the account to the JV in dollar form was them to easily ship the profits outside of Nigeria in connivance with some Nigerian officials.Adeola said, “So that we can look at everything relating to this transactions because from the last record we are able to gather, )over N200bn was generated because only two years alone accounted for about N30bn.”“N13bn in 2018 and about N11bn in 2019, this is almost N30bn and another $90m. By the time you now take it from 2008, that will come to about N100bn that was missing. HURIWA wants the Senate to tell us if the missing cash are retrieved”. 

HURIWA however stated that from an insider’s information,  the Senate and the NTA/STARTIMES reached an ‘understanding’ and soon after, the media noise about the so called scam in NTA/STARTIMES died a natural death just as the Rights group asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission if it is still independent and incharge of their investigative activities to launch investigation on all the investigations carried out by the Senate and the Federal House of Representatives to ascertain the veracity of the allegations of bribes being collected by the legislative investigators who thereafter compromised the investigation.  

HURIWA said the current media war against NDLEA is just a smokescreen to force the hands of Mohammed Buba Marwa to line the pockets of the legislators going by the widespread allegations of same pattern in the National Assembly over the past years. It urge the Chairman of NDLEA not to compromise his values for transparency and accountability.