I Am Careful Not To Use Military Methods In Corruption Cases – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said he is being careful not to
use military methods in the fight against corruption in the
country.

While citing his first coming as a military head of state in
1984, he noted that in a democracy, strong evidence had to be
provided before allegations cases could be prosecuted successfully
in courts.

Buhari spoke on Wednesday during a town hall meeting aired on
NTA and monitored by our correspondent.

The moderator had asked the President to address the allegation
that only members of the opposition parties were being hounded in
the corruption fight.

He said, “I think that is not a fair criticism because it is not
backed by facts. I don’t think that there is anybody that is being
pointed out as corrupt in the last dispensation that we looked the
other way.

“I think I can best illustrate this with my experience when I
came in 1984. We arrested the president and the vice president,
governors and ministers and put them in detention. And we said that
they were guilty until they proved their innocence. We put
committees of investigations based on geo-political zones and they
were all investigated.

“So, I decided to come now and I have to be careful. People are
not just arrested like that. But when they hold positions, if they
make a wrong declaration of the number of houses they have in
Europe, America and Asia and they did not mention the companies
that they have floated, and the contract they gave out. If
eventually uncovered, they are first in court.”

The President, who had difficulty getting the questions, was
asked by the moderator what he was doing about allegations against
members of his cabinet.

She cited the case of a former Secretary to the Government of
the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who had yet to be tried despite his
dismissal for alleged corruption, and a petition by a
non-governmental organisation to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission against the Minister for Works, Power and Housing,
Babatunde Fashola.

“I have to be careful. But if anybody, the public should help
us. If there are strong allegations and people have bank accounts,
names of companies looted, contracts awarded, then we take them
before the courts through the EFCC and the ICPC and we have to
trust the system and allow them to complete their
investigations.

If we just take people as we did during the military era and we
locked them up, this system – multiparty democracy system – does
not allow that. If you accuse anybody, you have to provide evidence
in court for him to be prosecuted. If there are strong allegations,
the government may decide to ask people to go, like the former
secretary to the government that you mentioned,” Buhari added.

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, said the case of Lawal was
before the EFCC and a directive had been issued for his trial.

He noted that all cases involving members of the cabinet
referred to the EFCC would receive attention.