Benue Governor, Others Commended For Disowning Suit Against EFCC

Benue State Governor Revd. Father Hyacinth Alia, and the state government have been commended for distancing themselves from the suit filed by the Kogi State Government and others, challenging the establishment Act of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A non-governmental organisation, Vanguard for Credible Representation (VCR), welcomed the development and commended the governors for taking action on the issue.

The Kogi State government and other states filed a suit at the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of the EFCC, the ICPC and other federal agencies.

However, when the matter came for hearing on Tuesday, three states, namely Anambra, Adamawa and Ebonyi, withdrew from the controversial suit.

On Wednesday, Governor Hyacinth Alia suspended the state attorney-general and commissioner for Justice, Bemsen Mnyim, for acting “unilaterally” in joining the suit “without the approval of his principal’s approval.”

The latest development came on the heels of the declaration on Tuesday by the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, that the state was neither aware nor part of the suit challenging the legality of EFCC.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by VCR’s Head of Mission, Onche Ugbabe, the group said it was “heartwarming that some state governors were dissociating themselves from the suit and lending their support to the fight against corruption.”

The statement reads: “It is heartwarming that Governors Hyacinth Alia and Dauda Lawal have publicly dissociated themselves from the suspicious move orchestrated by some state governments. We also commend the governments of Anambra, Adamawa, and Ebonyi states for heeding the voice of reason and withdrawing from the suit.

The group hailed erudite lawyers like Mr. Femi Falana SAN and Kayode Oladele have faulted the suit and its backers.

“It is highly gratifying that erudite lawyers like Mr Femi Falana SAN and Hon. Kayode Oladele has publicly condemned the unpopular move, citing a plethora of judicial decisions of the Supreme Court on the legality of the anti-corruption agencies.

“It is in the light of this that all well-meaning individuals and institutions should lend their support to the war against corruption and not seek to thwart it by any scheme or schism,” the group said.

It would be recalled that the renewed onslaught against the EFCC is not unconnected with its bold move to investigate and prosecute some highly placed politically exposed persons like the former Governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello and others. Kogi State initiated the pending case at the Supreme Court before being joined by about 14 other states.