Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) has directed prosecuting agencies to compile list of “high profile criminal cases” they are prosecuting for transfer to a special committee.
Malami, a few months ago, constituted the c National Prosecution Coordination Committee (NPCC) with a brief to assume prosecution of some identified “high profile criminal cases” being handled by prosecuting agencies.
The minister said the committee was constituted to ensure “smooth and prompt” prosecution of such cases.
The directive for the agencies to compile the list of such pending cases was announced yesterday in Abuja at a meeting with heads of the prosecuting agencies and representatives of the AGF.
The agencies at the meeting are: The Police, the Department of State Services (DSS)), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices & other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Minister’s spokesman Salihu Isah, said in a statement yesterday that the directive by the minister was communicated to heads of the affected agencies by the Special Assistant to the President on Research and Special Project, Sylvester Imhanobe, who is also the Secretary of the NPCC.
He said while it was the prerogative of the AGF to determine what case pass as high profile, other criteria to be considered include that such a case “must have overriding public interest elements,” and that “the quantum of value of a case and its sensitivity also influences whether a case is a high profile case or not.”
Isah said members of the committee are mainly his aides as well as eight external members selected on the basis of experience and expertise, stressing that Heads of Agencies are not part of the NPCC due to their busy schedule.
He said the decision to exclude heads of the agencies was not to distract the Heads of these agencies, but rather to engender smooth synergy between the committee and the agencies.
The Special Assistant to the President on Coordination and International Affairs under the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Pius Oteh who chaired the meeting, reiterated that it was for the purpose of sensitizing the relevant Agencies on the objectives of the National Prosecution Coordination Committee.
He said the AGF in his wisdom saw the need for coordination and cooperation between the NPCC and these Agencies with prosecutorial and investigative powers.
He added that it was necessary for cooperation and synergy between the Committee and the Agencies consistent with the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari in the anti-graft war.
Oteh said beyond the synergy and partnership between all concerned, a robust interface among the Agencies was necessary, pointing out that the agencies should take their mandate seriously for a more vigorous and efficient prosecution.
Speaking on the delay in the justice system, Oteh said every stakeholder has a responsibility towards a more efficient and humane criminal justice system.
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