The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has disclosed that a leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, is currently facing trial in Finland.
Prince Fagbemi made the revelation during a special engagement session organised to update Nigerians and stakeholders on the achievements of his ministry in advancing the administration of criminal justice from October 2024 to date.
The minister maintained that Ekpa will be extradited to Nigeria upon the conclusion of his trail in Finland.
He said, “Simon Ekpa is facing prosecution in Finland, and once he’s through there, Nigeria will begin his extradition process. ”
During the engagement, Fagbemi reaffirmed his Ministry’s commitment to upholding the rule of law, ensuring equitable access to justice, and building a justice system that is fair, transparent, and responsive to the needs of all citizens.
Prince Fagbemi insisted the office of AGF and Justice Ministery is determined to foster a justice sector that inspires confidence and delivers on its mandate to serve the people.
“We shall remain steadfast in our dedication to fostering a justice system that is fair, efficient, and upholds the highest standards of integrity by safeguarding the rights of all and promoting equitable and speedy access to justice.
“To sustain the foregoing objectives, we will continue to refine our procedures, invest in capacity building and inter-agency collaboration with key justice sector stakeholders, in line with the National Policy on Justice (2024 – 2028), which provides the framework for improving access to justice, judicial independence, and efficiency,” Fagbemi assured.
The AGF who reeled out some of the achievements of his Ministry pledged to address challenges militating against the full implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, and other similar legislations.
Fagbemi stated the Ministry and its agencies whose mandates involve access to criminal justice both for the victim, the accused, and ultimately, the State, have worked to improve prosecution of offences in the country.
“These achievements came about as a result of extant policies and actions targeted at improving the capacity of our prosecutors, increasing synergy amongst prosecuting agencies, developing appropriate policy framework in collaboration with office of the NSA and other law enforcement or security agencies,” the AGF said.
More so, he said the ministry’s capacity development efforts were conducted in key areas of general investigation and prosecution strategy, cyber security, forensic analysis and electronic evidence, financial investigation and prosecution, energy related offences, piracy and other maritime offences, including sexual and gender based violence.
Under the period under review, the AGF stated that the ministry witnessed effective conduct of 237 terrorism cases from 9th – 13th December 2024, out of which 226 terrorism suspects were successfully prosecuted and convicted.
Also, in the area of protection for women, children and vulnerable persons, Fagbemi said the ministry has continued to foster collaboration and cooperation with the international community to deny criminals safe haven.
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