EFCC case takeover: Sokoto reacts to Justice Minister’s query

By Abdallah  el-Kurebe

Sokoto—Barely two weeks after the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, faulted the takeover move by Sokoto State government of an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, case against a serving commissioner, Abubakar Bello, the state government has finally reacted.

Sokoto State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Suleiman Usman, disclosed that the state government sought to take-over the case because the AGF had granted Attorneys General of states fiat to prosecute Federal cases in their states.

Usman said that Malami granted the general fiat to conduct prosecution of all Federal offences committed in various states, including Sokoto on January 30.

He said: “There was a petition that there was a similar action initiated by the state government. Even though the latter was called money laundering, the other one was called criminal misappropriation and breach of trust.

“We were worried about the issue of double jeopardy but what we did was to take over the case, look at what is there and see what could be done.”

He stressed that in the case under reference, Sokoto had more than a passing interest because the money that was alleged to have been laundered belonged to it.

Usman said if the office of the Attorney General of the Federation had suspicion of foul play by the state’s Ministry of Justice, it could monitor the proceedings as it deems fit.

 

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