Offa Robbery Case, Opportunity To Disarm All Thugs In Nigeria – Femi Falana

A human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana ( SAN ), has warned against politicising the case of the suspects arrested in connection with the recent dastardly Offa, Kwara State , bank robberies , where many people were killed.

“The law should take its course irrespective of who is implicated. The case must be used as an opportunity to disarm all thugs in the country. 419 ( advance fee fraud ) once gave Nigeria a bad image around the world.

A Brazilian bank collapsed after being defrauded to the tune of $240m by a Nigerian and in its bid to recover the money, the bank engaged the services of 11 lawyers from around the world, including me.

They came to me among the 11 lawyers. How do we collect this money? How do we go about it ? It was very difficult because the police here then were part of the criminality . The main fellow that was to be arrested, the EFCC arrested him in the guest house of the IG . We are looking for a criminal and he is being sheltered by the IG ; just like you are looking for the vehicle with which a bank was robbed and you find it in the state house .

That is the level of impunity in our country . And some people are shouting this is political victimisation ; nonsensical! Please , I beg all of us, let us separate criminality from politics . Wherever a criminal is identified, the law must have its way; the full weight of the law must be brought on the person. Otherwise, you may be a victim tomorrow if we don ’ t eliminate criminality in this society.”