Lawyers in Nigeria, under the auspices of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have not taken it kindly with a statement credited to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, calling lawyers in the country rogues and vultures.
In a statement in Abuja by the NBA General Secretary, Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, the Association asked Ibrahim Magu to withdraw the offensive statement and to render unreserved apology to the lawyers, even as he termed such statement as uncivilized.
The General Secretary said: “The inaugural address of the NBA President was a statement of nearly 30 pages, which set its vision and direction of his programmes for the Nigerian legal profession. He committed himself to leading a brave new Bar fully aligned with the aspirations of Nigerians in their quest for national development which can only be abhored the rule of law built on strong institutions.
“In the paragraph of the statement dealing with corruption, the NBA President restated the commitment of the NBA in the fight against corruption. He commended the modest achievement of the EFCC but called for the reform of the agency to enhance its capability to deliver on its mandate on a consistent and sustainable basis devoid of political interference and on the basis of well established institution safeguard that demands proper regulation of the wide discretionary power involved in the investigation and prosecution of criminal matters.
“The NBA condemns in the strongest term the use of abusive and uncivil language of ‘rogues and vultures’ and such structures by the public authority. Name calling and abusive language is not expected of any public institution. It is unacceptable. The NBA demands unequivocal withdrawal of these statements and unreserved apology from the EFCC.”
Last weekend, Magu described the Nigerian bench as one populated by rogues and vultures.
It said such group of people cannot sit in judgement over others or command their respect.
The EFCC in a statement by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, in response to the call by the new President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abubakar Mahmoud, for the restructuring of the anti-graft agency.
Mahmoud had, after his inauguration as the president of the NBA, called for the restructuring of the EFCC.
Among other proposals, he said the anti-graft agency should be stripped of its prosecutorial powers.
But the EFCC in the statement by Uwujaren said the call by Mahmoud was a self-serving one and that the aim of the call was to create “a cabal of untouchables” since some of the country’s senior lawyers are undergoing trial now for cases of corruption.
It vowed that there would be no sacred cows in the bid to stamp out corruption in the country.
The statement said: “It is too much of a strange coincidence that the suggestion to strip the EFCC of its prosecutorial powers is being floated few months after the Commission, in unprecedented fashion arraigned some senior lawyers for corruption.” [myad]
