Alhaji Ibrahim El-Sudi, the Taraba Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to stop its plea bargain policy.
He said that this was necessary to ensure the success of the ongoing fight against corruption in the country.
El-Sudi, a former Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Taraba, said while interacting with journalists in Jalingo on Tuesday that, people who abused public trust should be allowed to answer to their crimes.
According to him, it is unacceptable and dangerous to allow people entrusted with power to loot the wealth meant for the people, yet allow them to go free through plea bargain.
“You cannot dip your hands into public treasury and plead to return part of the loot to government while you get away with the remaining and you expect the public to take the EFCC serious.
“The anti-graft war must be taken very seriously because corruption has dealt a deadly blow on the country.
“In my opinion, corrupt leaders are even deadlier than terrorists and other criminal elements giving citizens sleepless nights across the country.
“They are responsible for millions of deaths due to poor health facilities, bad roads, hunger and several other decays in our society.
“Even the insecurity we are talking about today is substantially the consequence of corruption, actions or inactions of corrupt elements.
“That is why for me, I think it is very important for the anti-graft commission to remove the plea bargain clause from its books, so that those who have denied the people of their patrimony for so long, will face the full wrath of the law.’’
El-Sudi claimed that corruption at state and local government levels was very high.
“I am aware that a lot of state and local government officials have been called in for questioning by the commission.
“I hope that all these ultimately culminates into the trial, prosecution and recovery of state’s funds blatantly embezzled by those in government.
“I equally urge the EFCC to expedite action against other collaborators in this conspiracy to defraud the people, and get them to face the law, since they do not enjoy immunity like some top functionaries,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APC chieftain was reacting to recent invitation of some government officials in Taraba by the EFCC over fraud allegations. (NAN)
