CCT Chairman advocates for special anti-corruption courts in Nigeria
The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mainasara Umar Kogo, has advocated the setting up of special courts of superior records to handle all corruption cases in the country within specified time limit.
Speaking at a conference organised by Gamji Heritage in Kaduna, the CCT chairman said that the current court operational system will continue to hinder the fight against corruption, which is the precursor of most of Nigeria’s ills.
He said that the Nigerian Constitution should be amended to incorporate the National Anti-Corruption Court.
“I make bold to say that we cannot achieve successful prosecutions and ultimate convictions in the type of court operational system we have in Nigeria as provided in Sections 230-304 of the 1999 Constitution.
“If we want to succeed, there is the urgent need to establish special anti-corruption court, with divisions of the courts in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
“We should get competent patriots who have the fear of God and high spirit of nationalism to head these courts.
“They should be given 4-6 weeks time limit to dispense all cases brought before them, and it should be superior court of summary trials, devoid of unnecessary legal and verbose technicalities of our current court system.”
Kogo also called for the domestication of all agreements and treaties entered into by Nigeria especially during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari on trial of corruption cases abroad, repatriation of the country’s looted funds and assets, as well as extradition of the culprits. This, he said, will be in line with Section 12(1) of the 1999 Constitution that clearly predicated the efficacy of any treaty and agreement to its domestication into law by two-third majority of members of the National Assembly.
The CCT chairman said that recovered looted funds should be used in financing budgetary provisions for valuable projects like linking all state capitals with railway network, extraction of solid minerals, fertiliser refineries and fortifying electricity supply.
Kogo also spoke on the importance of the whistle blower policy in the fight against corruption, emphasizing that a law should be enacted to provide cover to whistle blowers.
He also said that the whistle blower policy should be widened to cover academic fraud, political crimes, illegal possession of arms, cattle rustling, and cybercrime.
The CCT chairman noted that the prevalence of corruption in the country was also attributable to the fact that because Nigeria separated law from morality, and adopted secularism as its gospel and moral rectitude.
