Looters’ list: Pray, do tell us
I was over the moon when I read that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abukabar Malami disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed all relevant agencies to compile documents on names of all looters with a view to promptly enforcing the judgment of a Federal High Court in Lagos. It […]
I was over the moon when I read that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abukabar Malami disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed all relevant agencies to compile documents on names of all looters with a view to promptly enforcing the judgment of a Federal High Court in Lagos. It ordered the government to release to Nigerians information about the names of high ranking public officials from whom public funds were recovered. As soon as I finished jubilating, I continued to read: The court also ordered the government to tell Nigerians the circumstances under which funds were recovered, as well as the exact amount of funds recovered from each public official.
Could this be possible in my lifetime? As I took in the reality of it all, I continued, delighted to read that Malami made the disclosure during a meeting at his office in Abuja with a delegation from Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
I remember that a SERAP suit followed disclosure last year by the Federal Government, of funds recovered from some high-ranking public officials and private individuals. In a judgment delivered on 5th July 2017, Justice Shagari agreed with SERAP that “the Federal Government has legally binding obligations to tell Nigerians the names of all suspected looters of the public treasury past and present.” The judge also granted the following reliefs: To widely disseminate including on a dedicated website information about the names of high ranking public officials from whom public funds were recovered since May 2015.
Any way one looks at it, heads should roll. Especially when you consider that the Ministry of Information last year published details of the recoveries, which showed that the Nigerian government successfully retrieved total cash amount N78,325,354,631.82, $185,119,584.61, £3,508,355.46 and €11, 250 between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016. Also released were recoveries under interim forfeiture, which were a combination of cash and assets, during the same period: N126,563,481,095.43, $9,090,243,920.15, £2,484,447.55 and €303,399.17. Anticipated repatriation from foreign countries totalled: $321,316,726.1, £6,900,000 and €11,826.11. The ministry also announced that 239 non-cash recoveries were made during the one-year period. The non-cash recoveries are farmlands, plots of land, uncompleted buildings, completed buildings, vehicles and maritime vessels.
What some people do not realise, especially on social media, is that the gravity of the crime of grand corruption, the devastating effects on the socially and economically vulnerable sectors of the population, will destroy the very fabric of our dear nation if not checked. And what better time than right now?
I strongly believe that publishing the names of public officials involved could go a long way in preventing senior public officials from turning the public treasury into a private cashbox. The public interest in publishing the names of the high-ranking government officials from whom funds were received outweighs any considerations to withhold the information. While the government in some limited cases can legitimately place restrictions on the public’s right to access certain information, attempts of the Nigerian authorities to justify the total closure of information related to the names of public officials from whom funds were recovered on the basis of “ongoing criminal investigation” and “presumption of innocence goes far beyond the limitations allowed under international law, and would promote secret recoveries. We wait with bated breath, and the hope that we won’t wait in vain. So, Federal Government, over to you!
Abdullahi wrote in from Garki II, Abuja.