The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has said people can get away with almost anything in Nigeria when they have strong political connections.
Sanusi made the comment during an interview with Channels Television in Lagos at the public presentation of Unexplained Wealth: A Trilogy of Nigerian Financial Law, a three-volume book written by anti-corruption lawyer, Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN).
He said reviewing Nigeria’s existing laws was necessary to identify gaps and strengthen efforts to tackle unexplained wealth and corruption.
“I think what Dr. Shittu has done is to look at the laws. I’m not a lawyer, I’m still an undergraduate law student and this would be something that I would find extremely useful in my studies, but clearly what he’s done is to create an analysis of what exists and also identify weaknesses and make proposals for what needs to be done to identify unexplained wealth and to also ensure that it is used as part of the war against corruption.”
The Emir, however, said having good laws was not enough, stressing that the institutions responsible for enforcing them must also work effectively.
The Emir alleged that political influence sometimes affects the way corruption cases are handled in the country.
He referred to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai while discussing concerns over the use of legal processes in corruption cases.
“An example is my brother Nasir El-Rufai who’s been denied bail. He’s been in detention for seven months, not having been convicted for anything using the courts.”
According to Sanusi, situations like this can raise questions about whether corruption cases are being pursued fairly or are being influenced by political interests.
“So people begin to wonder is this really a fight against corruption or is it a political battle?”
He called on politicians, public officials and the judiciary to ensure that laws are applied for the purposes for which they were created.
Sanusi said law reform should go hand in hand with strengthening the institutions responsible for enforcing the laws.
“So the laws are one thing and I think it’s a good thing that we’re looking at the laws, but we also have to look at the institutions that are involved in the promotion of the law and that is how you make progress. Otherwise everyone knows that you can get away with anything if you have the right political connections.”
You can get away with anything with political connections – Emir Sanusi faults El-Rufai’s detention