A civil rights group, Anti-Corruption Network, has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan over an alleged incompetence and abuse of office by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN).
The ACN, in a letter written by its Executive Secretary and former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dino Melaye, entitled: “Reporting a case of flagrant abuse of power vested in the office of the AGF by Mr. Mohammed Adoke,” accused the AGF of gross abuse of office and urged the President to relieve the Kogi-born official of his duties as the chief law officer of the country.
The letter with reference No: ACN/NEC. /CORRP. /VOL. 1/00.1 reads in part, “It is with absolute sense of humility, responsibility and patriotism that we are forwarding to your Excellency, one of our briefly chronicled cases of flagrant abuse of office by the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke.
“Your Excellency, we are conscious of all the visible efforts you are making to address various multifaceted challenges confronting our country today. We are also aware that for you to make good success of your efforts, you need a team of people whose integrity, commitment, proficiency and character as well as their body language must be visibly above board.
“We are equally conscious that all hands must be on deck to help realise the purpose of government, secure democracy and enhance good governance.
“It is in the light of this that we will continue to work in partnership with your Excellency to ensure a better Nigeria and desirable qualitative life for our people by exposing every inappropriate acts, behaviour and corrupt practices by those entrusted with leadership positions in public offices. We hope our submission in the attached document will receive your Excellency’s consideration and necessary action.”
But the Chief Press Secretary to the AGF, Mr. Ambrose Momoh, in an interview with our correspondent, asked Melaye to forward his feelings against Adoke to the ministry for appropriate response but, however, added that the ex-lawmaker was “entitled to his opinion.”
He said, “I cannot respond and you will concede to me that it will not be appropriate to respond to what he (Dino Melaye) has said.
“If he formally presents his allegations to the ministry, there will be an official way of responding to him. I don’t respond to issues like that; Melaye has aired his views and opinions and he is entitled to his opinions.”
Among many other ‘offences’ and allegations, Melaye in the petition to Jonathan said the AGF refused to produce 14 witnesses that were to testify in the $180m Haliburton bribery scandal, which led to the striking out of the suit by Justice Abubarkar Umar of an Abuja High Court.
He said, “Today, the Malabu oil deal is dead and buried because the AGF has refused to push the case and is in fact, frustrating the prosecution. The prosecution of the officials of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission was also withdrawn against public interest.
“In the case of Erastus Akingbola at the Federal High Court in Lagos, a case of N10bn money laundering, was struck out by Justice Charles Achibong on the grounds that the prosecution was shoddy, yet the case is yet to be revisited by the AGF.
“It is also laughable that the Federal Government of a country declared the chairman of the dissolved Pension Reforms Task Team wanted; yet the AGF did not file any charge against him.”
According to Melaye, the AGF has also not shown any seriousness in the prison decongestion exercise, despite the huge amount of money earmarked for it.
