By Bolaji Okunola
The civil society organisations (CSOs), yesterday, in Lagos, continued their anti-corruption protest against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged disobedience to court orders, with more groups joining.
Members of the CSOs, in their thousands, stormed the streets of Lagos, the third day since top activists began their call for the sanction of the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Leading yesterday’s protest, the Chairman, Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran; Executive Director, Zero Graft Centre, Kolawole Sanchez-Jude; Chairman, Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance, Toyin Raheem; Executive Director, Centre for Public Accountability, Olufemi Lawson; Spokesperson for the Transparency and Accountability Group, Ayodeji Ologun; Director, Activists for Good Governance, Declan Ihehaire; and Ahmed Balogun of Media Rights Concern, among others, alleged that the EFCC chairman has become an embarrassment to the fight against corruption by disobeying court orders.
Adeniran, a foremost Nigerian anti-corruption activist, said: “For several years, we have criticised the military regimes and civilian administrations that have ruled us with impunity. Impunity comes when the court is no longer seen as an arbiter between the people and the provisions of the extant laws. We rely on the courts to adjudicate in matters of conflict between the people and the system. And anytime anyone runs against the system, it is also the court that will adjudicate.
“A situation whereby somebody is so powerful, somebody is so influential, somebody sees that he has a larger than life image and decides that he is not going to respect our law courts or the laws of the land, it is against the rule of natural justice; it is against the ethos of democratic practice; it is against the principles of human rights. So, definitely, a serial violator of court order is not fit to lead an agency that is supposed to sanitise the society.”
The CSOs also hinted that they would petition the Chief Justice of Nigeria to demand that until the court order to arrest EFCC Chairman was effected, “no court should entertain any EFCC case henceforth.”
Other leaders of the CSOs, who took turns to speak with the media, said they would continue the protest until the government acts.
Executive Director, Centre for Public Accountability, Olufemi Lawson, said: “You can’t run to the same courts you disrespect to get judgment for your cases. And you can’t also choose which court judgement to obey.”
On his part, Spokesperson for the Transparency and Accountability Group, Ayodeji Ologun, noted: “Many cases of genuine corruption are left unattended.”
Other CSO leaders present at the protest were Ochiaga Jude, Centre for Ethics and Good Governance; Barr. Cletus Okedube, Barr. Johnson Areola, and Barr. George Sanda, among a host of other notable activists, lawyers and women’s rights leaders.