The House of Representatives called for restoration of sanity in the administration of justice and in the fight against corruption after a motion moved by Hon. Yakubu Barde (PDP: Kaduna) at plenary on 8th February, 2018 decried the manipulation of the Nigerian legal system by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
Moving the motion titled “Need to Ensure Sanity in the Legal Administration of Justice System in the Fight Against Corruption by the AGF”, the minority whip described the offices of the Attorney General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as indispensible to the fight against corruption in Nigeria. He however raised concern over Justice Danladi Umar’s continued role as presiding Chairman of the CCT despite being charged with two counts of corruption in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the EFCC.
Hon. Barde was also suspicious of why the EFCC who had previously issued a statement absolving Justice Umar of any wrongdoing had suddenly filed fresh corruption charges against him. He warned that the action of the EFCC appeared calculated to achieve a certain predetermined result and stressed that such “manipulations” should be of great concern. The House following this, mandated its Committee on Judiciary to liaise with the Attorney General of the Federation to restore sanity in the administration of justice and fight against corruption.
