HURIWA BACKS BUHARI ON ANTI-GRAFT WAR * WANTS CORRUPTION MADE A CAPITAL OFFENCE

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) - a civil society group has thrown its weight behind the affirmation of the President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to investigate alleged missing $20 Billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

But the Rights group has however cautioned against selective justice of contrived witch-hunt even as it has asked the incoming national Assembly to understudy the Chinese anti-graft model so as to introduce the death penalty as punishment for corruption by government officials and contractors.

Speaking when he received a delegation of All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftains from Adamawa State at his campaign head office in Abuja, Buhari said the issue of alleged corruption and heist in the NNPC would not be swept under the carpet once he mounts the saddle on May 29th 2015.

HURIWA said the decision to probe the alleged missing $20 Billion from NNPC as made by the President-elect is a welcome recantation or swift reversal of his earlier unpopular decision not to re- open any corruption cases that happened before March 28th 2015.

HURIWA stated thus; “it is not in the place of Mr. President-elect to pick and choose which alleged looter of public Fund should be investigated and prosecuted since the criminal provisions of the statutes in operation across Nigeria does not give short term status of limitation for criminal cases. We urge the President elect to begin by totally reorganizing the anti-graft institutions by bringing in capable Nigerians of integrity to head the institutions so as to revive the now moribund anti-graft bodies.”

The Rights group said it was wrong that both anti-graft bodies are dominated by personnel drawn from the much criticized Nigeria police Force. The group has therefore tasked the incoming national legislators to be patriotic enough to introduce radical legislative reforms into the enabling laws setting up both anti-graft bodies (EFCC and ICPC) so as to make them much more vibrant, independent and incorruptible. HURIWA also wants the Chairmanship of EFCC and ICPC to be open for election by members of the National Parliament in a publicly televised session as true representatives of the people of Nigeria and for the removal/dismissal of such anti-graft officials to be subject to stringent legislative approval and/or national referendum.

On why corruption should be made a capital offence, HURIWA in the statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and National media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf stated that corruption has led to the breakdown of national security and law and order resulting in the death of thousands of Nigerians killed by armed brigands and terrorists.

“The President-elect must also look into the grand scale corruption in the Defence and police sectors which has exposed Nigeria to international ridicule following the inability of the Armed Forces to defeat armed Terrorists who have waged war against the Nigerian state since three years now.

27/4/2015.