…says FG convicted 250 terrorism, criminal cases
By our correspondent
The Attorney General of the Federation(AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, Friday, said the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case is very difficult, requesting it be left to court to decide.
Also, the Federal Government revealed that it prosecuted and convicted 250 terrorism and criminal offenses in various courts across the country.
The AGF made this revelation at the Sectoral Ministerial briefing to mark President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office.
Fielding questions from the press, the minister explained that there is a remarkable difference between Kanu’s case and that of the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore.
He said, “Sowore and Kanu are not the same. When it comes to the first one, I didn’t have difficulty saying go, but I have difficulty with the second one.
“The matter is still in court, let’s wait for the court”.
Sowore was arrested in 2019 and prosecuted for allegedly calling for the forceful takeover of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, the federal government through the office of the AGF in February this year filed a notice of discontinuation of the case.
Breaking down the achievements of the justice ministry in the year under review, Fagbemi said the FG has secured 160 convictions for criminal offences, 87 convictions for terrorism cases, 3 novel convictions in the last one year for extremist terrorism actors involved in the radicalization of children and violence against women.
He hinted on enhanced interagency synergy for prosecution of maritime cases, electricity offences, collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders on cybersecurity protection and cybercrime prosecution.
Following the Ministry’s intervention for the upgrade of facilities designated for trial of terrorism cases, Fagbemi said the Ministry has resumed trials of terrorism cases in conjunction with the Legal Aid Council, National Human Rights Commission and other stakeholders.
“The percentages of terrorism cases initiated and corruption cases concluded within the reporting period has been significant,” the Justice Minister said.
Speaking on the development of the proceeds of Crime Recovery and Management Regulation, 2024, by the Ministry, the AGF said the objective of the regulation which is being developed with relevant agencies is to ensure transparency, accountability and standardization in the management of recovered assets, in line with global best practices.
“This document is being finalized for validation, the AGF said.
On terrorism financing and other transnational crimes, the AGF stated that the Tinubu administration has facilitated international cooperation and secured conviction of 13 terrorism financing cases, and have also concluded 150 mutual legal assistance requests and 12 extradition requests from law enforcement agencies and foreign countries.
“The Ministry places priority on enhancing the prosecutorial and litigation capacity of its staff, to this end it organized capacity building programmes to improve knowledge on various aspects of the law including Darknet and Cryptocurrencies applied to terrorism financing, investigation and prosecution of financial and wildlife crimes in Nigeria.
“The coordination of the effective implementation of the National Anti-Money Laundering/Combating Proliferation Financing (AML/CPF) Strategy 2023 – 2027 is also a top priority for the Ministry, the AGF said.
On the fight against corruption, the Minister submitted that the present administration has achieved successes under its international asset recovery and management efforts.
The asset sharing agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Bailiwick of Jersey was signed in February 2024, for the return of £2,125,944 (Two Million, One Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty-Four GBP) proceeds of corruption, the AGF revealed.
“This has been approved by the President to be utilized for continuation of works on the Abuja-Kano Road project” Fagbemi said.
On the Glencore settlement, the Justice Minister said the Ministry on behalf of Nigeria on April 25, 2024, concluded negotiation of a settlement agreement with Glencore International A.G. wherein the firm is expected to pay the sum of $50 million USD as penalty and compensation for certain activities in Nigeria.
