“For my anti-corruption struggle in madness, I go into politics n I am still paying” – Nuhu Ribadu

Nuhu Ribadu, who spoke ‎in Abuja as the special guest at the ‘National Stakeholders Workshop on the Recovery and Management of Recovered Assets’ organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, said‎ he continued to pay “dearly” for his anti-corruption struggle as he joined politics.

The pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Nuhu Ribadu, said on Tuesday said that his decision to join politics was a mad one given his roles in the fight against corruption.

He also denied the allegation that former heads of the EFCC, including the immediate past chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, diverted over N1trn of the loot recovered by the anti-graft agency over the years.

The event was co-organised by the Prof. Itse Sagay-led PACAC and The Commonwealth Secretariat, which was represented by its Director, Rule of Law Division, Katalaina Sapolu.

He said given the honesty with which he and his team which then comprised the incumbent Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, and Lamorde, had handled the loot recovered by the commission, it was unfair to be accused of diverting part of the assets.

He said, “Sadly, I read that they wa‎nted to take the issue to the National Assembly, my God! They are saying ‘come and account for the N1trn that you have taken. Why?”

‎He however said he considered the allegation and his experience in politics as the price he had to pay for fighting corrupt people.

He also restated his commitment to continue to fight against corruption if given the opportunity to do so.

He said, “‎Considering the care we took in handling whatever was in our custody, I find it baffling and disheartening when I hear people make insinuations about how we handled recovered assets.

“It is the most unfair remark but certainly not totally surprising as the fight against corruption is essentially a thankless job, especially in our climes. 

“That was why I was telling Prof. (Itse Sagay), that ‘don’t bother sir, people will abuse you, don’t say anything’.

“This is the job. We are hurting people, we are taking things from those who took things desperately and we denied them chance to make good use of it and enjoy it with their family.

“I’m still paying dearly. In my own madness, I decided to go into politics and I am still paying for it. But I’m not bothered; I will continue fighting to the last of my breath.‎ If I’m given the opportunity I will do it again.”

He said contrary to the allegation against him and others present and former heads of EFCC, it was some senior lawyers that benefited from s‎ome of the cases undertaken by the EFCC, such as the Harliburtton case.

He said, “Contrary to such insinuations about self-enrichment, it was some people not us or even the government that made money from some of those cases.

“A case in point is the Halliburton investigation where after we had done the bulk of the work it was turned into a milking cow for some senior lawyers who made millions of dollars out of it.”

He said other foreign countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom also recovered billions of naira from the Halliburton case and other cases of high level corruption, but the Nigerian government did not get anything because it failed to take any step.

He said, “I ended up taking this case to US authorities. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do here in Nigeria. 

“It was the case of powerful companies bribing and compromising the system and getting away with it, and we were hopelessly helpless.

“Not just ‎that one, we also had Siemens, for example. They were EFCC cases. Almost all the worst cases that took place in the world today with respect to corruption, they were all cases that started with EFCC and they were our work.

“UK and US authorities benefitted and took over over N3bn out of such cases but we did not benefit anything because on our own side, not‎hing was done.”

He said the recovery of assets started before the establishment of the EFCC and that he participated in the initial recovery of part of the late former Head of State‎, Gen. Sani Abacha’s loot.

He said at that time, in the absence of legislation on asset recovery, through informal means over “N83bn was recovered” and paid into the Federation Account. 

But he said this was not recorded or captured in any literature. 

“In the first few months we recovered billions ND thousands of houses,” he said.

‎The former EFCC boss also lauded his achievement in office as he regretted that he was kicked out of office by the late President Umar Yar’adua without allowing him to complete his job.

Ribadu said, “In all the cases we handled in EFCC , we got 95 per cent success. We never last any single case at the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal throughout the period I was there.

“We got up to 300 convictions within the short period of time and if not because we exited in 2007; if we had remained in 2008 and 2009, all those cases would have been concluded. But they kicked us out and reversed the things we had done.”

‎Sagay described Ribadu as the man who started the anti-corruption struggle and asset recovery and regretted that the pioneer chairman of the EFCC’s stay in office was cut short.

“He is the man who started it all. In fact, if he had been allowed ‎to continue his good work, it may not have been necessary for us to be here today.”

Ribadu, who described the ongoing war of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration “is about the survival of our country”, urged Nigerians to support the fight.

He advocated that in addition to efforts aimed at putting in place “laws as regards asset forfeiture “On a larger scale, I would suggest that a high level serious consultations be held between all the three arms of government to discuss steps and measures of evolving a very comprehensive national strategy on the fight against corruption that would enumerate the roles expected of all; the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.”

He added, “We should have a strategy that is a product of a consensus. Out of this strategy we can agree, if need be, to have new laws or institutions with clear mandates and responsibilities.

"The federating units should also be invited to sign on to this strategy so that at the end whatever emerges is what everyone consents to. This buy-ins will guarantee effective implementation.”