Falana Seeks Attorney-General’s Probe for Failing to Arraign Murder Suspects
Activists Lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has requested the Nigerian Bar Association to investigate Attorney-General, who refused to prosecute murder suspects connected with the death of over 1,632 people between 1999 and 2017.
The request was contained in a letter dated February 16 written to NBA President, Abubakar Mahmud.
Falana said he made the request having confirmed that the rate of killings in the country has been on the ascendancy due to the refusal of several state Attorneys-General to prosecute murder suspects due to political pressure or sheer negligence of duty.
Hailing the NBA leadership for deeming it fit to conduct an inquiry into the reckless killing of unarmed people in Benue State, he said it was disturbing that the NBA has failed to monitor the prosecution of the scores of murder suspects arrested by the police or indicted by the judicial and administrative panels of inquiry set up by the federal and state governments to probe violent civil disturbances in the country.
Falana contended that since culpable homicide or murder is a state offence, the Attorneys-General of states ought to have ensured that the suspects arrested by the security agencies were prosecuted in line with the powers conferred on them by section 211 of the Constitution.
“Having failed to prosecute the murder suspects, the Chief Law Officers of the states have breached their Oaths of Office and subverted the Rule of Law. It may interest you to know that some Attorneys-General have a penchant for terminating murder charges by filing nolle prosequi.”
“In order to put an end to the culture of impunity in the country, we are compelled to request the NBA to investigate the refusal of the Attorneys-General to prosecute the criminal elements who have engaged in the reckless killing of innocent citizens in several states of the federation,” the activist said.
He said unless the NBA is prepared to sanction Attorneys-General, who fail or refuse to prosecute the murder suspects, the reckless killing of people by killer squads and armed bandits will continue unabated.
Falana listed some of what he described as acts of negligence on the part of the prosecutorial authorities.
He said: “Between 1999 and 2007, an official squad was fingered in the unlawful elimination of not less than 70 people in Gombe State. The murder charges filed against the suspects by the police were struck out by the courts at the instance of the state government. The late Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan, who demanded for the prosecution of the culprits was charged with giving false information to the police by the state government.”
“The members of an official squad which killed some politicians and students in Ekiti State from 2003-2006 were arrested by the police and charged with murder at the High Court sitting at Ado Ekiti…”
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