The much-talked-about anti-corruption administration of late former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari lasted from 29 May 2015 and terminated on 29 May 2023.
President Buhari was swept to power on an anti-corruption platform as the opposition candidate for the broom-wielding All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, was by the nature of his office to lead and/or oversee all prosecution of corrupt suspects as carried out by law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
These suspects were said to have diverted public funds meant for the development of the nation.
Here are some of the high-profile corruption cases:
Former governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye: 14-year jail term for N1.16bn fraud
The ex-governor was prosecuted by the EFCC for criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds.
On June 12, 2018, he was sentenced by the Federal Capital Territory High Court to 14 years in prison for criminal breach of trust and two years for misappropriation of public funds, with the sentences to run concurrently.
In April 2022, Dariye was among over 157 others granted pardon by Buhari following constitutional ratification by the then Council of State.
Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba State: Convicted over N1.1 billion fraud.
The EFCC prosecuted the ex-governor of Taraba, Nyame, on a 41-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds, and obtaining valuable public properties without consideration.
The trial court in 2018 pronounced him guilty on 27 charges, sentencing him to 14 years for criminal breach of trust, two years for misappropriation, seven years for gratification, and five years for obtaining valuable public properties without consideration, all to run concurrently.
Nyame was later granted a pardon by Buhari and the Council of State.
Former Governor of Adamawa State, Bala James Ngilari: convicted by High Court over N167 million fraud
In 2017, the EFCC secured the conviction of Ngilari on a 17-count charge bordering on awarding a contract without following due process by the High Court.
He was accused of conspiring with his former Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Andrew Walye, and Finance Commissioner, Jonathan Lamorde, to award a contract to El-Yard Motors Company to supply 25 units of Toyota Corolla saloon cars (1.8, 2015 model) worth N167,812,500 without following the procurement process.
However, the Appeal Court in Yola in 2017 overturned the ex-governor’s conviction and acquitted him.
Former Abia Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu: Convicted by the Federal High Court over N7.65bn fraud
On December 5, 2019, the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted and sentenced Orji Uzor Kalu to 12 years’ imprisonment for a N7.65bn fraud.
His conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeal but quashed by the Supreme Court, which remitted the case back to the High Court.
Former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, was discharged and acquitted of EFCC’s $9.7 million money laundering charges.
The Federal High Court, Abuja, in 2022 discharged and acquitted Andrew Yakubu on a money laundering charge.
In 2017, the EFCC raided Yakubu’s residence in Kaduna State and found $9,772,800 and £74,000 stashed in a fireproof safe.
The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to return the money to Yakubu, holding that the EFCC had failed to prove Yakubu received money beyond the N5 million threshold stipulated by law.
Former NBA president, Paul Usoro SAN: acquitted of EFCC’s N4.2 billion fraud charge by Federal High Court
In 2021, a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court discharged and acquitted Paul Usoro SAN of the N4.2 billion fraud charge instituted against him by the EFCC.
Judge Rilwan Aikawa held that the anti-graft agency failed to establish any prima facie case against Usoro, agreeing with his “no case” submission.
Former Secretary General of the Federation, Babachir Lawal: acquitted by High Court of N544 million contract fraud
On November 18, 2022, a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory discharged and acquitted Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and five others of N544 million contract fraud offenses.
Justice Charles Agbaza held that the EFCC failed to establish a case against the defendants and accordingly acquitted them.
Lawyers’ Perspective
Human rights lawyer and anti-corruption crusader, Marshall Abubakar, told Nairametrics that the Buhari administration’s fight against corruption was “quite selective.”
“It was more of a political witch-hunt against political opponents, except a few instances where the public outcry necessitated the pursuit of corruption cases.”
- He said there were indices or reports that corruption was as high in every sector as it was in the Presidential Villa and with the presidency.
“Although there were little gains, there were some gains here and there,” he said.
- He stressed that even in those cases where the EFCC was able to get a few high profile convictions, the Buhari presidency, on the premise of political expediency, allegedly compromised those cases and set those persons free, which, according to him, was a “terrible example” or “a terrible signal” to the EFCC, “which has now made the EFCC lose focus of its core mandate of the pursuit of corruption.”
“I think in a great way that the acquittal or the pardon of those high-profile convicts dampened the morale of the EFCC. That is why the EFCC has lost touch with its core mandate and they now only pursue minor criminals like the Yahoo Yahoo boys and the Naira spraying individuals as against government officials that are accused of very, very endemic high profile corruption.”
- He highlighted that Section 175 of the Constitution, which empowers the AGF with the power to prosecute and the power to accuse, including officers in his office, says that the corruption fight “will be decided in the spirit of fairness, equity, and justice.”
“Sadly, the pursuit of corruption in the country under Buhari was one-sided, was lopsided, and it was more a tool of political convenience,” he added.
On his part, a seasoned banking and finance lawyer, Barrister Joseph Chinedu, told Nairametrics that his opinion on the Buhari administration was that its anti-corruption agenda was “baseless and a sham.”
“We’ve seen where there is a successful conviction of state governors who were involved in misappropriation of funds, and yet, as a sitting president, he granted such kind of persons pardon,” he added.
He maintained that if the former president was really keen on fighting anti-corruption, as he claimed, Nigerians wouldn’t have experienced the kind of massive looting seen under his tenure.
“Look at the former governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele, allegedly building 753 duplexes under Buhari’s tenure,” he added.
- He also added that there were reports of corrupt politicians defecting to the ruling APC, and all of a sudden, the anti-corruption agencies looked away from them.
