Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and other anti-graft agencies should adopt a three-pronged approach of thorough investigation, diligent prosecution and committed judiciary to ensuring success of anti-corruption war, including hiring of ogbologbo lawyers.
This is just as he denied allegation raised by former Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi that his administration plotted to kill him while in detention for eight years.
Obasanjo said this while answering questions from newsmen during a special get-together he organised for journalists in Ogun State, on Sunday.
He said the agencies should engage staunch lawyers from within the agencies for thorough prosecution: โI was reading today when President Muhammadu Buhari said the EFCC should stop losing cases. They lose cases for a number of reasons. One, they engage more of outside lawyers. I believe that they need staunch, lawyers inside that will do the work.
โIf I am a lawyer and I want the opponent to win a case, what I will file will be wishy-washy. And if I file a wishy-washy case, the opponent will see the loophole and he will get out of it. I believe that it is important.
โSecondly, thorough investigation is very important. Now, investigation must be thorough, it must be proper and it must be really taken seriously.
โThird, our judges must be committed in fighting corruption. Because if the investigation is very sound and you have ogbologbo lawyers to handle the case, if you have Salamigate, you know what the answer will be.
โSo, it is a line-investigation, prosecution and the judiciary. If there is weakness along this line, chances are that corruption cases will continue to be lost.โ
On allegation by Bamaiyi, Obasanjo said: โThat I wanted to kill him? What of the people he killed? My government did not plot to kill him. My government asked him to answer to those that were alleged to have been killed by him and that is legitimate. That if there is an allegation that you have done something, that you have committed a crime, then you are arrested, you should answer. Thatโs all. Pure and simple.
โWho the hell is he that I would want to kill him? Kill him for what? To achieve what? No! There were allegations; the police and the law-enforcement agencies decided to look into the allegations. They invited him and they asked him to answer as a result of what was found, so they charged him to court. So, itโs now up to him, the investigators as I said, the prosecutors and the judiciary. Thatโs all.โ
Obasanjo added that he could not be intimidated by anyone considering his age and experience in saying the truth.
He re-echoed his stance that religious bodies had a role to play in the eradication of corruption in the country.
