Justice Mahmud Mohammed, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), has said the war against corruption would amount to a waste if the anti-graft agencies in the country continue making mockery of the constitution.
He made this statement at weekend, when the Deputy Governor (Operations) of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Alhaji Suleiman Barau, disclosed that over N4 billion had been lost to e-fraud. Barau had led some members of the Nigeria electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) on a courtesy visit to the CJN in his office. The visit, according to Barau, was in anticipation of an increase in electronic fraud attempts, with imminent increase in electronic payments in the country following the take-off of the “Cash-less Lagos” pilot project.
According to the CJN, both the EFCC and the ICPC conduct shoddy investigation and proceed to court with over 200 count charge. “Courts cannot carry out investigation and our security agencies must be encouraged to carry out investigation-led arrest and not arrest-led investigation,” the CJN said during the meeting with a delegation of the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum.
While maintaining that the judiciary has been quick to properly position itself to meet the challenges posed by the dynamics of the digital age, Justice Mohammed said the judiciary was like a builder and worked with materials that were brought before it.
“As such, the materials necessary for construction must measure up to standard in order to be applied by the courts. In some cases up to 200 count charge are brought before the court which is a waste of court’s time and makes mockery of the constitution and the laws”, he added.
“I wish to assure you that the Judiciary will stand with the Bankers’ Committee in providing an effective solution to electronic fraud and other ancillary issues. Indeed, it is our hope that, soon, Nigeria will become a major destination for the movement of capital and investment”, the CJN added
Barau stated that; “given the importance of providing secure payment systems, whilst ensuring public confidence in electronic means of payment, the role of proactive fraud management is very crucial. It was in this context and leveraging on lessons learnt from past experience (e.g. ATM magnetic stripe card frauds) that the Nigeria e-Fraud Forum was established’’.
He disclosed that the payment system industry losses had grown to over N4billion which give credence to the fact that e-fraud had become an industry of its own. The Forum he said recognized the role of the Judiciary as strategic partners in stemming e-fraud.
The CBN requested for the setting up of dedicated courts that would specifically adjudicate on banking and financial matters.
