LAGOS OCTOBER 22ND (URHOBOTODAY)-The newly-appointed Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Justice Ibrahim Bukar, today in Abuja withdrew the case files of former Nigerian governors undergoing trial for corruption.
Justice Bukar requested all judges in the FCT to return the case files of several of the governors, some of whom are reportedly being considered for ministerial appointments by President Goodluck Jonathan.
A source at the FCT High Court said the new chief judge did not state why the case files were being withdrawn, but it is being suspected that he plans to do away with the cases. Some of the cases were filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since 2007.
Since coming to power in 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan has boosted and encouraged corruption in several ways, including through declaring he would not publicly declare his assets; refusing to push actively for action against corrupt officials, especially within his government; and pardoning a corrupt former governor, DSP Alaimeiyeseigha.
Several officials at the EFCC have also confided in SaharaReporters that Mr. Jonathan has directly interfered in their work and stopped several high profile investigations on corruption by asking the EFCC chairman to not investigate some of the most corrupt public officials in his administration.
A source at the EFCC noted that the case of former Governor Jolly Nyame had reached an advanced stage, with nine witnesses already called, lamenting that the case file is among those withdrawn today.
In recent months, President Jonathan has repeatedly declared corruption in Nigeria to be “exaggerated.”
Only last week, it emerged that his Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, compelled a struggling agency in the Ministry to purchase two overpriced luxury motor vehicles for her use at an incredible cost of N225million. The public uproar that has followed the story has been ignored by Mr. Jonathan.
Source: Saharareporters