Lamorde And EFCC’s Handicap

A revelation recently by the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde that his agency was handicapped in the discharge of its duties is very worrisome and  thought provoking. The EFCC boss told the Senate Committee on Security that some politicians have placed impediments  in the way of the commission’s, duties.

According to him, the commission’s ability to follow-up on high profile cases face so much impediments, leaving his organisation with only petty criminals to pursue. Lamorde said much progress cannot be made in the fight against economic and financial crimes until the situation changes.

This revelation could not have come at a better time than now that the fight against corruption has taken the front burner in national discourse following cases of massive scams in the petroleum ,pensions, and other sectors of the economy.

Besides, it gives us another opportunity to appraise the activities of the EFCC in its duty to reduce crime in a country rated as one of the highest in the world. This is why Lamorde’s guts in speaking up against the state of corruption and sundry crimes in our country is very commendable.

Most worrisome, however, is his accusation against the judiciary which he lambasted for not being helpful in the fight against corruption through the use of various avoidable, even questionable legal technicalities, to stall prosecution and conviction of big time criminals.

It is clear to all that if corruption is not arrested the people would be worse for it, as the crusade by government to stem the malaise would amount to nothing. Besides, if perpetrators of corrupt practices are not apprehended and punished, it would serve as an incentive for others and further send Nigeria backward.

Given the foregoing, The Tide thinks that with the statutory powers at the disposal of the EFCC, Lamorde should find ingenous ways of performing his duties or step aside honourably. We think that with his open acceptance of failure occasioned by alleged clogs in the way, Lamorde does not look like a candidate ready or willing to confront corruption head-on.

We say so because any accused has the right to defence and if possible obtain freedom through any means, while the state should also be equipped enough to root them out. Besides, it is the same EFCC that was used to successfully prosecute a former Inspector General of Police, (IGP) and a former Governor, among others.

 This, however, is not to say that there could not be stumbling blocks on the way of the EFCC, we believe that a  versatile crime fighter like Lamorde could still make reasonable impact with the powers already at the disposal of the EFCC.

We think that the challenges in the system should serve as opportunity for Lamorde to prove to Nigerians that his appointment was not a mistake. We refuse to believe that criminals in Nigeria have become smarter than the law officers including the EFCC. To start with, the commission must ask itself if proper investigations are done to gather enough evidence that the courts can use.

Besides, EFCC should not expect to make much progress at the judiciary where they send ill-prepared prosecutors to do battle with properly motivated Senior Advocates of Nigeria hired by the defence. EFCC must go for lawyers that can cut through the legal barricades put up by such learned defence counsels and expose the criminal to the sharp edges of the law.

Even so, we expect the judiciary to take another look at itself and to ensure that nothing on their part compromises justice and legitimises corruption in Nigeria. Indeed, the time has come for some courts to be dedicated to corruption cases only to ensure speedy dispensation of justice in that area.

In order that EFCC does not continue to blame others for their inability to deal with corruption, the Nigerian nation may need to take a que from China or at least, remove EFCC from under the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, especially because the whole idea is not to control the body but to let it deal with corruption in the country. If their autonomy is what is needed for crime to loose its strangling hold on Nigeria, let it be granted.