The National Conscience Party (NCP) governorship candidate in Ogun State in the April 14, 2007 election, Mr. Lanre Banjo, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) not to stop at the conviction of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Bode George and others, for fraud, but to recover the stolen wealth.
George and former Chief Executive of NPA Aminu Dabo, Olusegun Abidoye, Abdullahi Tafida, Zanna Maideribe and Sule Aliyu were on Monday jailed by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, for two-and-half years each without an option of fine over N85 billion contract scam at the NPA.
They were sentenced two years on each of the seven-count charge of abuse of office and six months each for the 27-count of disobedience to constituted authority.
Banjo advised the commission to return to court to seek the return of the stolen funds or confiscate all the properties of the convicts.
This, he said, would serve as a deterrent to others.
Banjo, who spoke in an online interview with The Nation, said corruption by public officials had remained a major impediment to progress.
He praised Justice Olubunmi Oyewole for serving the course of justice.
"His statement that when public office is abused, the entire populace is assaulted lifted Nigeria in the eyes of the world. It gave us hope. When he continued that this must not be condoned or treated with kid gloves, and if the quality of service in our public life is altered to the appreciable standard of the civilised world, the right deterrent should be given. This statement strikes the nerves of people with conscience and sends fear into the inner spines of looters," he said.
Banjo denounced George’s supporters, who prevented photo-journalists from taking pictures and harassed prosecutors and reporters in the court premises.
He urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to make a law that would make it unlawful for anyone to violate people’s rights within the court premises.
Also yesterday, the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress (AC) hailed the conviction of George and others.
It described the development as a positive development in the anti-corruption war.
In a statement in Lagos by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, the party berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for saying it would fight to free George.
The party said the statement showed that the PDP was "remorselessly committed to promoting corruption."
"The conviction of Bode George is a welcome development and we believe that even as the sentence handed down to him was mild, it sends a positive signal to those who loot the treasury that someday, they will stand trial for their offences. We are happy that this character has been thrown to jail for his sundry role in looting the NPA and we salute the EFCC Chairman for effortlessly pulling this conviction through. We believe that there are many Bode Georges in the PDP and that the conviction of George will serve no useful purpose if other looters are not brought to justice.
"We must note that there were frantic moves made by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration to shield George from justice. This rendered the work of the former leadership of the EFCC a huge joke as this desperate effort lasted. It also showed that the Obasanjo government was merely using anti-corruption as a ruse to promote his political interests. We hope the present government will not do same on the critical issue of fighting corruption," the statement reads in part.
The party frowned on PDP’s defence of George after his trial before a court of competent jurisdiction.
