‘Tambuwal did not stop officials’ prosecution’
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal only pardoned five officials of Sokoto State government of indictment by a commission of inquiry but did not stop their prosecution at the court, Sokoto State government officials have said.
The government officials were reacting to a statement issued last week by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In the statement, the EFCC said it had challenged the power of Governor Tambuwal for allegedly pardoning five persons standing trial for corrupt practices in offences allegedly committed during the regime of former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa who ruled between 1999 and 2007.
The defendants include two serving commissioners, Tukur Alkali and Isa Achida. Others are the Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi; the member representing Isa constituency at the House of Assembly, Alhaji Habibu Modachi; and a Permanent Secretary, Isah Bello.
They were all arraigned in 2009, two years after the end of Bafarawa’s tenure, over an alleged N15bn fraud. The former governor is also a defendant in the case.
A source in the state ministry of justice told Daily Trust on Sunday that the EFCC was being ‘economical with the truth’ in its press release.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorised to speak with the press on the issue, said the foundation of the case was politically-motivated, and the commission “will do itself a lot of good” if it stopped such prosecutions.
“The EFCC will do itself a lot of good if it weans itself off politicallymotivated cases in order to boost its reputation and enhance the credibility of the fight against corruption in the country.
“Many tend to forget that this case was filed in the first instance because the regime that succeeded Bafarawa’s fought tooth and nail to ensure that leading lights of the Bafarawa regime were prosecuted.
“A commission of inquiry, under the leadership of Aminu Ahmad was set up which indicted the said persons. Many issues were raised about the procedure adopted by the commission. Upon their indictment, the EFCC filed charges in court against the persons based on the commission’s report and the white paper issued.
“Now, two years ago, the state government, based on pleas from the indicted persons, reviewed the work of the commission of inquiry and discovered some errors in arriving at its final decision. It reached a conclusion that the report was not fair to some of the persons and eventually pardoned them in the spirit of justice and fairness.
“This pardon was for the indictment by the commission of inquiry. It has nothing to do with the EFCC’s case in court.
“Seeing that the foundation upon which the EFCC based its case against them was faulty and a pardon granted by the government, the defendants took the pardon to court, and Justice Abass Bello discharged them and advised the EFCC to base on other things if it hopes to continue with the prosecution of same people on same matter.
“How the EFCC went to press with a different thing from what transpired in court surprised everyone involved in the case. However, now that an appeal has been filed, we will pursue the matter to a logical conclusion,” she added.
The Sokoto State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Usman Sulaiman SAN, had told journalists last week that it was untrue that Governor Tambuwal granted pardon from prosecution to those persons who were charged to court by the EFCC.
“The governor granted pardon to those people in respect of offences they were alleged to have committed against the laws of Sokoto State by the commission of inquiry.
“They were indicted by the Aminu Ahmad Commission of Inquiry. They sought for pardon because the commission was not fair to them and the governor did see reason in their claims. They went and used that pardon in the court by filing it and arguing that even the case is covered. And the court ruled and discharged them. So, the state government has nothing to do with that,” he added.