The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has said the case of the detained leader of banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a difficult one that should be left to the law to have his way since its already in court.
Fagbemi stated this while responding to questions from newsmen at the Sectoral Ministerial Briefing on the first anniversary of the President Bola Tinubu administration in Abuja on Friday.
He pointed out that there is a remarkable difference between Kanu’s case and that of the convener of #RevolutionNow protester, Omoyele Sowore.
He said, “Sowore and Kanu are not the same, when it comes to the first one, I didn’t have difficulty to say go, but I have difficulty with the second one”.
Pointing out that Kanu is being held in accordance with the Constitution, Fagbemi observed that, “the matter is still in court, let’s wait for the court”.
Sowore was arrested in 2019 and prosecuted for allegedly calling for the forceful take over of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, the Federal Government through the office of the AGF in February filed a notice of discontinuation of the case.
The minister also stated that the Federal Government has secured 250 convictions from the prosecution of terrorism and criminal offices in various courts across the country.
The AGF who reeled out the achievements of the Ministry of Justice under the year under review, said in furtherance with the Ministry’s mandate of enhancing national security and safety through prosecution, the Federal Government has secured 160 convictions for criminal offences, 87 convictions for terrorism cases, 3 novel convictions in the last one year for extremist terrorism actors involved in the radicalisation of children and violence against women.
Fagbemi hinted that the Justice Ministry in conjunction with relevant security and law enforcement agencies have developed a framework for joint investigation and collaboration geared towards the engagement of prosecution-guided investigation in various criminal cases with a bid to address the challenges to successful prosecutions.
“There is also enhanced inter-agency synergy for prosecution of Maritime Cases, Electricity offences, collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders on cybersecurity protection and cybercrime prosecution,” the AGF said.
Following the Ministry’s intervention for the upgrade of facilities designated for trial of terrorism cases, Fagbemi said the Ministry has resumed trials of terrorism cases in conjunction with the Legal Aid Council, National Human Rights Commission and other stakeholders.
He added that the percentages of terrorism cases initiated and corruption cases concluded within the reporting period have been significant.
The AGF further stated that the Tinubu administration has facilitated international cooperation on terrorism financing and other transnational crimes.
Fagbemi also said the Federal Government has secured the conviction of 13 terrorism financing cases, and also concluded 150 mutual legal assistance requests and 12 extradition requests from law enforcement agencies and foreign countries.
“The Ministry places priority on enhancing the prosecutorial and litigation capacity of its staff, to this end, it organised capacity building programmes to improve knowledge on various aspects of the law, including Darknet and Cryptocurrencies applied to terrorism financing, investigation and prosecution of financial and wildlife crimes in Nigeria.
“The coordination of the effective implementation of the National Anti-Money Laundering/Combating Proliferation Financing (AML/CPF) Strategy 2023 – 2027 is also a top priority for the Ministry,” the AGF said.
Moreso, in line with the cardinal principle of the present administration in the fight against corruption, the Justice Ministry, Fagbemi said, has achieved successes under its international asset recovery and management efforts.
The asset sharing agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Bailiwick of Jersey was signed in February 2024, for the return of £2,125,944 (Two Million, One Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty-Four GBP) proceeds of corruption, the AGF revealed.
“This has been approved by the President to be utilised for continuation of works on the Abuja-Kano Road project” Fagbemi said.
On the Glencore settlement, the Minister said the ministry on behalf of Nigeria on April 25, 2024, concluded negotiation of a settlement agreement with Glencore International A.G. wherein the firm is expected to pay the sum of $50 million USD as penalty and compensation for certain activities in Nigeria.
Also, speaking on the development of the proceeds of Crime Recovery and Management Regulation 2024 by the ministry, the AGF said the objective of the regulation which is being developed with relevant agencies is to ensure transparency, accountability and standardisation in the management of recovered assets, in line with global best practices.
“This document is being finalised for validation,” the AGF said.
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