Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has urged the Federal Government to ensure that all those named in connection with funds released from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) do not escape justice.
The former President, West African Bar Association, WABA, made the call in a statement yesterday.
“The federal government should ensure that all individuals and corporate bodies indicted in the criminal diversion of public funds are made to face the full wrath of the law.
“The anti-graft agencies should disregard the cheap blackmail, speed up the investigation and charge all indicted suspects to court while the courts are enjoined to conduct the trial of the suspects under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015) which requires that the trials be conducted day by day”, he said.
Mr. Falana advised that government should open a dedicated account where all the recovered loot should be returned with a view to using the fund to provide equipment for the armed forces, create jobs for the army of unemployed graduates in the country, fix our dilapidated public schools, hospital and roads.
“In the light of the earth-shaking and ear-aching revelations oozing out of the EFCC to the effect that a handful of individuals cornered and shared the huge fund earmarked for the procurement of military hardware to prosecute the war on terror all the convicted military officers and soldiers who have been convicted including the 70 who were sentenced to death should be released forthwith. As I have repeatedly maintained the soldiers were committed and sentenced to death for asking for weapons to fight the terrorists. They were ordered to fight with unserviceable equipment on the ground that there was no money to purchase new weapons. In the process, the well-equipped insurgents routed and massacre thousands of the country’s ill-equipped soldiers due to the diversion of the fund set aside to purchase equipment. The suspects must bear full responsibility for committing such grave crimes against humanity”, Falana said.
