Fagbemi Threatens Jail Terms for Officials Involved in Alleged LG Funds Diverson
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has issued a stern warning to Local Government Area (LGA) chairmen, threatening jail terms for those tampering with funds from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Fagbemi gave the warning during the 17th-anniversary lecture of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) in Abuja on Thursday.
Fagbemi emphasised that LGA chairmen do not have immunity and will face imprisonment if they misuse the funds designated for local development.
He stated, “The local government council chairmen or councillors, they have no immunity, so they have to choose between dealing with the funds of the local government as they like and risking going to jail. The choice is theirs.”
He further highlighted the importance of returning local activities such as road construction to the local governments to improve grassroots development and security.
“If they stay at the local government, we will be able to reduce the level of insecurity that we have in Nigeria today,” he added.
The Minister also mentioned that the federal government opted to use the Supreme Court to enforce local government autonomy due to anticipated resistance from state assemblies.
He pointed out that any state assembly speaker supporting this cause might not survive their tenure or secure re-election.
For over two decades, local government administration in Nigeria has been crippled by state governments failing to remit funds meant for local governments, Fagbemi noted.
He also urged security agents to refrain from detaining suspects beyond constitutionally allowed periods without court orders, warning that violators would face appropriate sanctions.
While declaring the conference open, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere- Ekun, noted that the judiciary and the media play unique and complementary roles in the development of the society.
The CJN, who was represented by the Secretary of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Mr. Abdullaziz Olumo, however urged journalists to avoid sensationalism in news reporting.
She further expressed concern over what she termed as “trial by media,” where premature narratives prejudge cases, sometimes infringing on constitutional rights.
Earlier in his keynote address, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, said there was need for the judiciary to continue to live up to expectation by ensuring that justice is not sacrificed on the alter of technicalities.
Speaking on the theme of the conference: “The Role of Courts in the Enforcement of judgements,” the human rights activist maintained that courts must hold the balance of scale between feuding parties, even as he cautioned judges against denying lawyers the opportunity to effectively present their case in court.
Ozekhome however admonished judges to stop inviting political exposed persons to events organized in their honour, saying that such action creates room for a compromise.
While expressing worry over the increasing attacks on the person of judges, the senior lawyer stated that it was time that judges form an association to enable them defend themselves against unfounded corruption allegations.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Abuja Chapter of NAJUC, Mr. Kayode Lawal, while pledging the commitment of the media to fair and balanced reporting, also called for a holistic reform that would ensure that lawyers who compromise judges, are promptly and adequately punished.
Among dignitaries at the conference included the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, who was accompanied by other justices of the court, as well as senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
