Compel AGF to prosecute Boko Haram sponsors, lawyer tells court
By Esther Rewane
A Lagos based lawyer, Mr. Evans Ufeli has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to compel the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, to prosecute some individuals who were listed by the Federal Government as alleged sponsors of the Boko Haram terrorist group.
Ufeli who is also the Executive Director of Cadrell Advocacy Centre, is asking the court to specifically grant an Order of Mandamus compelling the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately commence the trial of all person listed as sponsor of Boko Haram.
Listed as respondents in the suit are the AGF and the National Security Adviser.
In his affidavit in support of the exparte motion for Order of Mandamus, Ufeli averred that a few years ago, the federal government in its effort to tackle the spate of terrorism in the country and after a painstaking investigation, identified a number of private individuals, corporate bodies (Bureau de Change) who were suspected to be terrorism financiers.
He further averred that a document obtained from the Nigeria Sanctions Committee, NSC,website showed that 21 individuals and six corporate entities were particularly tagged as terrorism financiers by the federal government.
Ufeli stated that as citizen who had been personally affected by the horrible acts of the Boko Haram sect, he had written a demand letter through Cadrell Advocacy Chambers seeking to prompt the AGF and National Security Adviser discharge their respective statutory functions of advising the President on the need to prosecute the identified terrorism sponsor and that his effort has been meet with sheer silence.
He is specifically asking the court for ” A declaration that the official publication of a schedule of names of private individuals and corporate entities (Bureau de Change (BDCs) by the Federal Government as terrorist financiers and their roles therein, on its Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC) website, and without due prosecution thereof, amounts to a sheer breach of the Respondents’ statutory duty, and so, is ultra vires and against public policy.
“An order of Mandamus compelling the Respondents to forthwith, prosecute the named and/or listed private individuals and entities (Bureau de Change (BdCs)) which appear on the National Sanctions Committee (NSC) website as published by the Federal Government for acts of terrorism and breach of public peace as part of concerted efforts by same in curbing terrorism in the country.”
On his grounds for seeking the reliefs, Ufeli argued that it would be of utmost disservice to the security and sanity of the country, more so, the rule of law, should the officially listed private individuals and corporate entities be left unprosecuted.
He further argued that the prosecution of the suspects would, to an extent, serve as a deterrent to intending partakers in furthering acts of terrorism in the long run.
Ufeli contends that the failure to prosecute the suspects undermines efforts to combat terrorism and fosters a climate of impunity among its financiers, stating, “The continued financing of terrorism jeopardizes the safety of countless Nigerians and hinders our progress toward stability.”
Citing his personal loss in the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, Ufeli stressed the urgency of the matter, saying, “I have lost a direct relative to the hands of insurgents in the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train attack, hence this application for leave of the Honourable Court.”
No date has been fixed by the court for hearing the matter.
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