Lawyer wants Mantu Tried
An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Ajibola Jimoh, has called on relevant authorities to immediately begin the prosecution of a former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, after he confessed to election rigging.
Mantu, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had in a television chat with Channels TV on March 30, admitted to have rigged elections for the party through bribing electoral officials, security agencies and party agents.
Jimoh said under Section 28 of the Evidence Act, 2011, voluntary confessional statements were the best form of evidence to arrive at a conviction.
Citing the Act, he said: “A confession is an admission made at any time by a person charged with a crime, stating or suggesting the inference that he committed that crime.”
The lawyer also submitted that even if the confession was made in the course of religious activity, the person taking such a confession had a duty to report such commission of crime or offence to the appropriate authority else he would be viewed as an accomplice.
He said rigging as explained by the ex-lawmaker was an offence under the Electoral Act, 2010, adding that it was the duty of INEC and the professional duty of lawyers as conferred by Rule 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2007 to weigh on to the matter.
The lawyer said private legal practitioners could also apply for fiat from the Attorney General of the Federation to conduct the prosecution according to the provisions of sections 109 (e) and 268 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
“I humbly challenge the government to prove to Nigerians that it has the interest of combating corruption in Nigeria by mandating the appropriate prosecuting agency or authority to immediately arrest and prosecute the said Senator Ibrahim Mantu according to his confession or other criminal charges or allegations to be made against him upon investigation,” he said.
Do you need to be heard? Or your articles published? Send your views, messages, articles or press release to: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk >>> We can cover your (LAW) events at the first Call: 08039218044, 08024004726
-Advertisement-
Grab our latest Magazine, "Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN, A man of wide horizons and deep intentions". Get your order fast and stress free.
For more details about Newswire Law&Events Magazine, kindly reach out to us on 08039218044, 09070309355. Email: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk. You will be glad you did
Download E-Magazine
