The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), has faulted a media report claiming that he directed the stoppage of the investigation of alleged fraud in the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).
Malami said he only directed that a well coordinated investigation should be carried out as against the current situation where multiple investigative agencies of the Federal Government were independently investigating the same agency.
The AGF, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, said the report published by an online medium was a misrepresentation of his position on the issue, as contained in his letter dated February 4, 2020,
The statement reads: “The attention of the Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation (HAGF) and Minister of Justice has been drawn to a story on Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) in an online medium on baseless falsehood mischievously spread in order to tarnish the image and hard-earned reputation the Attorney-General has built over the years, making reference to a letter insinuating that he had directed the stoppage of investigation on NIRSAL.
“For the records, the directive of the HAGF, quoting verbatim from the letter dated 4th day of February, 2020, reads: ‘After a careful study of the petition, we found that NIRSAL is being investigated by several agencies to wit: the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the State Security Services (SSS), and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), in respect of the same subject-matter, which is not only an unhealthy competition among the agencies of the same Federal Government of Nigeria but a sheer waste of government resources.
‘In view of the foregoing, you are requested to conclude your own investigation on the matter and forward the outcome of your investigation on the matter to the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation for legal advice and further necessary action.’
“It is pertinent to submit for all intent and purposes that the statement as quoted above does not convey the mischievous conclusion of stopping the investigation of NIRSAL as portrayed by an online Medium called Sahara Reporters.
“The clear and unambiguous directive of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation was that the other several agencies conducting parallel investigation on NIRSAL in respect of the same subject matter should stay action to allow the Nigeria Police Force to continue and conclude the investigations it had started.
“The directive is by implication that of continuation, not stoppage of the investigation.
The directive was inspired by the desire to avoid multiplicity, confusion and wastage of scarce resources.
“After all, only one charge can be competently filed against the entity in respect of the same subject/facts being investigated by the multiple agencies if found wanting at the end of the investigations.
“The office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation wishes to point out that the police, which was directed to take control of the investigation, is a body legally recognised and empowered under Section 214(1) and Section 29 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Police Act respectively.”
