A Lesson For The Media: Equal Treatment By Investigative Bodies Is Hard When Their Hands Are Tied

President Muhammadu Buhari, appointed Abdulrasheed Bawa in February of 2021, making him the fourth Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Bawa is a product of the EFCC academy who for the first time was not fetched from our infamous Nigeria police force.

After officially taking his leadership position in March of 2021, Bawa while being featured on the Nigerian Television Authority’s (NTA) special interview program, “One-on-One,” stated “We need to change our attitudes in Nigeria.”

On ethical grounds he further stated, all hands-on must be on deck to combat the threat of dishonesty.

Almost sounding like a psychologist, he rightly pressed on Nigerians to reevaluate their social behaviors. “We are in the habit of worshipping people that have money in the society, but never bother to ask questions about their source of income.” “In winning the fight against corruption, we are engaging all stakeholders including religious leaders, community leaders and others. “We are going to embark on massive public enlightenment to sensitize people on the need to shun corruption in all its forms.” “I will continue to do what is right. The Commission under my watch will continue to abide by the rule of law. If anybody asks me to do anything contrary to my conscience or against the rule of law, I will resign my appointment.”

Ten months since his appointment, in an editorial write up in Punch News of Nigeria, Adelani Adepegba would remind Bawa of having not apply the rule of law equally.

In fact, here is how Adepegba titled the article: “Bawa’s EFCC focuses on scammers, fails to arraign ex-govs, VIPs”

I believe many Nigerians of good conscience will agree that law enforcement officers must “do equal right to the poor and to the rich.”

But here is the painful reality. For the most part, whether it is the EFCC or other law enforcement bodies, their hands are tied! Meaning for the most part, visibly or invisibly, directly or indirectly, the likes of EFCC wants to apply the hammer of the rule of law equally but not when in a crooked democracy like Nigeria, one is being prevented from fully acting, enforcing, or intervening on a case, as one should or desires to, due to circumstances beyond one's control, Those circumstances include the bending of rules, expressing influential images or getting conflicting orders from “above”

Here is one example. Since 2016, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode is being prosecuted in court by the EFCC on a charge of money laundering, to the tune of 4.9 billion naira. In recent times, after various types of unusual delays his case now remains active in court, yet here are some September 2021 headlines from the Nigerian media.

“Femi Fani-Kayode meets Buhari, joins APC” - Punch; “Defection: Buhari welcomes Femi Fani-Kayode”- Vanguard; “Femi-Fani Kayode (R) meets the President, Muhammadu Buhari”-Guardian.

Here is a man like many others, currently under criminal probe, accused of unscrupulous leadership and pilfering the national coffers. Yet, he is being welcomed into Aso Rock or the official presidential villa by the man that holds the highest office of the land, for changing and joining the ruling party.

Even though the EFCC continues to do all they can to prosecute him, why will a criminally charged man meet with the President and taking picture together. The fundamental psychological message here to law enforcement and the judicial bodies, is that ‘Here I am I still have power and influence.’

Under Bawa, although EfCC is not fully swayed by this type of games, such image does send the message that if you are a suspected internet fraudster commonly known as 'Yahoo Boys' you are ‘less than’ regarding power play.

There is the matter of Stella Oduah, a former Aviation Minister and currently a Senator charged in 2016 for misappropriating N7.9 billion public funds while serving as Aviation Minister. She remains a sitting member of the senate despite been indicted for a criminal offense that constitutes a felony. She recently petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, alleging persecution by the EFCC. Incredible.

The AG in the first case should not be entertaining such petition at all, for a case of stolen public funds that began many years ago before his time.

This type of occurrence from Oduah is a sort of psychological and power-based intimidation against public servants serving as investigators, who are just trying to do their job. Here again their hands are tied. These are just a few examples, and they show that the Nigerian democracy is in crisis.

Therefore, the media should be more worried and watchful about this type of hand tying. Media agents should without fear, favor or compromise help fight against these types of manipulations of the rule of law. From the point of institutional psychology, I say to Bawa and others, do not resign. In our current world of the social media, no matter how troubled our democracy is not even the President, AG, or any other powerful head or Oga can shut down the EFCC or any other pro-people public intelligence/law enforcement agency. So, keep fighting hard for the rule of law, but to do so effectively, always hydrate the body with water, good food and vitamins. Remember those who dutifully believe in rampant corruption, I call them corruption religionists would love to see good investigators go away, fall off or die out. God willing, InshAllah you all will overcome them!

John Egbeazien Oshodi who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government Consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult/child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional and Career Development. A former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at the Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African settings. In 2011, he introduced the State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and the Nasarawa State University where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. The Development Professor and International Liaison Consultant at the African University of Benin, and a Virtual Faculty at the ISCOM University, Benin of Republic. Founder of the Proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, Openness. Author of over 40 academic publications/creations, at least 200 public opinion writeups on African issues, and various books.

John Egbeazien Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]