He explained that the order of detention obtained from the magistrate’s court, through an ex parte application, was in strict compliance with the provisions of sections 293 to 299 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
He added that the suspects were at liberty to ask for bail under the law.
“As corruption is already mobilising to fight back, the Buhari administration should ignore the reckless campaign of calumny of certain people, who have lost their sense of shame,” Falana said.
He noted that as far as the said critics were concerned, “the suspects should be left alone to enjoy their loot while soldiers are losing their precious lives due to lack of adequate weapons”.
The senior advocate urged the Federal Government to open a dedicated account for the warehousing of recovered loot, which he advised, should be used to provide equipment for the Armed Forces and take care of pressing public needs.
Falana added, “The anti-graft agencies should disregard the cheap blackmail, speed up the investigation and charge all indicted suspects to court while the courts are enjoined to conduct the trial of the suspects under the ACJA, which requires that the trials be conducted day by day.
“The Federal Government should open a dedicated account to warehouse the recovered loot with a view to using the fund to provide equipment for the Armed Forces, create jobs for our Army of unemployed graduates and fix our dilapidated public schools, hospital and roads.”
He said he had, on the strength of the Freedom of Information Act, applied for the Certified True Copy of the report of the arms procurement panel “with a view to ensuring that some of the suspects are prosecuted by the Special Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity”.
According to Falana, the act of individuals that “cornered and shared the huge fund earmarked for the procurement of military hardware” constitutes “grave crime against humanity” as soldiers were made to fight well-equipped insurgents “with unserviceable equipment on the grounds that there was no money to purchase new weapons.”
He said, “The total missing fund is $6bn. In the light of the earth-shaking and ear-aching revelations oozing out of the EFCC to the effect that a handful of individuals cornered and shared the huge fund earmarked for the procurement of military hardware to prosecute the war on terror, all the convicted military officers and soldiers, who have been convicted, including the 70 who were sentenced to death, should be released forthwith.
“As I have repeatedly maintained, the soldiers were committed and sentenced to death for asking for weapons to fight the terrorists. They were ordered to fight with unserviceable equipment on the grounds that there was no money to purchase new weapons. In the process, the well-equipped insurgents routed and massacred thousands of the country’s ill-equipped soldiers due to the diversion of the fund set aside to purchase equipment.
“The suspects must bear full responsibility for committing such grave crimes against humanity. Consequently, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, we have applied for a certified true copy of the report of the arms procurement panel with a view to ensuring that some of the suspects are prosecuted by the Special Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.”
He said the Federal Government should ensure that all individuals and corporate bodies, indicted in the criminal diversion of public funds were made to face “the full wrath of the law.”
Punch
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