Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
An Osun State lawmaker, Hon. Kanmi Ajibola, has dragged the National Assembly and all the 36 states Assemblies to court, insisting that promulgation of law which will make death as penalties for public fund looters is the only way Nigeria can survive its trials.
Ajibola, a one-time Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ilesa branch, Osun State, approached the court over the failures of both the Senate president and the House of Representatives Speaker to respond to his letter 30 days after receiving it.
The lawmaker, representing Oriade constituency of Osun State, had in the said letter asked the both the Senate and the House of Representatives to initiate a bill that will make death sentence as punishment for treasury looters.
In the suit filed yesterday at the Federal High in Osogbo, Ajibola, who sought five reliefs backed up his motion by 53-paragraphs affidavit.
According to him, the respondents in the matter have the capacity to initiate bills and alter the 1999 Constitution, the Money Laundering, Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Acts, the Criminal and the Penal Codes to suit his request of capital punishments for corrupt government officials.
While quoting several legal authorities and news items to back up his motion, the lawmaker, who stated that as a politician, he will also not be immune if such law is enacted, lamented that trillions of naira had been looted by public office holders since Independence therefore leaving Nigeria at its point of death.
He noted that the notion of come over to our party and your “sins” shall be forgiven has led to several corrupt cases being stalled and these included matters involving Senator Godswill Akpabio, former Governor David Umahi, Senator Uzor Kalu, late Christopher Alao-Akala, among others.
He cited issues relating to late General Sani Abacha and the former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, who was convicted and jailed in the United Kingdom for his involvement in looting of public funds.
Ajibola stated that corrupt public officials had leverage on the plea bargaining to successfully steal and misappropriate public funds while the Attorney Generals’ powers to discontinue any corrupt cases against looters is a deadly blow to the country’s progress.
The lawmaker disclosed that the introduction and incorporation of capital punishment into the anti-corruption law of China has brought it to the league of the economic super power in the world, notwithstanding its deterring population of about 1.425 billion as at 2024.
“In full defence and paving ways for long and lasting democracy in Nigeria, corruption must be curbed with good and result oriented laws in a manner it is done in China.
“Due to the non-availability of effective laws to checkmate corruption the way it should be properly checked, there are loss of peace, order, good governance and good government in the federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It’s my strong belief that with the present Nigerian corruption status, Nigeria is already by its graveside. It is the constitutional and spiritual duty of courts, agencies, churches, mosques and everybody to resuscitate it at this graveside,” he stated.
Citing Sections 174 (1)(c) and 211 (1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, Ajibola asked the court to grant his applications for the prerogative order of mandamus to compel the respondents to perform their statutory duty of making laws that will pronounce death sentence on looters of public treasuries.
