A Subsidy Drama: The EFCC’s Romance with The Chairman’s Son

Mahmud Tukur (Son of PDP Chairman center) and Counsel hob-nobbing with EFCC operatives

In the war against terrorism, some countries refuse to negotiate with terrorists. These countries are the ones that are more successful than others. In the war against financial and economic terrorism or crass corruption, Nigeria always chooses to negotiate with the terrorists or the corrupt. It is especially easy a negotiation when the culprit is a political ally, or a relative to the member of the ruling party chairman. Then the negotiations become a sort of romance on print media for the populace to watch. A Shakespearean event of sorts, where the only victims of the tragey the romance brings are the majority of the readers.
Enter Mahmud Tijani, as dapper as ever in his aviator shades, his babariga with a copy of the son tucked under his arm. Chances are every single thing he adorns, including the N200 newspaper are paid for from proceeds of one financial crime or the other. Truth be told he and his clique of subsidy thieves called the ‘Bugatti Boys’, a moniker bestowed upon them due to their affinity for the motor vehicle after the same name that retails from $1.5 million, are untouchable.
Yet the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have the audacity to tell Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the High Court of Lagos State that they are negotiating with this criminal. I guess the logic at Aso Villa is to be seen to talk tough on corruption when in all truth, you have no business with fighting any form of corruption, especially when its committed by the son of someone you talk to more times in a week than your First Lady.
Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), lawyer to the accused, actually confessed in court that his client was pretty much guilt-ridden, and that the EFCC had an air-tight case against him. In saner climes, this is what the prosecuting attorneys call a slam-dunk, a sure-thing. In Nigeria, when you’re the son of Mr. Big Man-no Pimples, then this is what you call grounds to institute plea bargaining.
Oyetibo told the court, “We as senior counsels we have studied the processes…and have decided to enter into discussion with the prosecution.
“That’s why we didn’t file any processes to challenge the prosecution in court,” he added.
Nobody plea-bargains better than an SAN, although you don’t really need an SAN to conduct one of these mock trials, you can actually get a first-year law student from the University of Janglova and still be successful in these outings. The thing is your father has to be the President’s confidant, and the EFCC and Judiciary have to receive funding and marching orders from the President.
The court also granted the subsidy suspects which include Abdullahi Alao, son of business tycoon, Arisekola Alao; and Alex Ochonogor the release of their international passports, as the EFCC did not challenge the request of the defendant’s lawyers.
Welcome to Nigeria, where stealing a Bible can land you prison time in less than two weeks of trial, but stealing billions almost certainly guarantees your freedom, and a beautiful romance.
BusinessNews