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Rise and fight it, corruption is gross human rights abuse – AGF
Government officials who pocket public funds meant for provision of infrastructure for Nigerians are committing gross human rights abuses, Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ), said on Friday in Abuja, while insisting on the imperative to stamp the malaise out of public institutions for a safer society.
Arguing that the phenomenon was not just a legal or governance failure, but a direct assault on human dignity, Fagbemi, who spoke in Abuja at a seminar organised by the Inter-Agency Task Team of Anti-Corruption Agencies to commemorate African Anti-Corruption Day 2025, described acts of corruption as gross violations of human rights, added: “When public funds meant for hospitals are diverted, it is not just a policy failure — it is a denial of the right to life and health.”
Represented by Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Solicitor-General of the Federation, the Minister emphasised that misappropriation of education budgets also robbed future generations of opportunity adding that even in the justice system the malady undermined the principle of equality before the law.
“This is why the fight against corruption is not just a political imperative, but a moral obligation,” he stated, while calling the protection of whistleblowers and journalists, playing crucial role in exposing corruption and promoting accountability.
Stressing that war against the crisis was about defending the inherent value of society and humanity, regardless of our socioeconomic standard, he said: “Our commitment to combating corruption, therefore, must go hand in hand with steadfast dedication to the rule of law, due process, and protection of civil liberties.
“As we build resilient institutions, we must also build a culture of dignity where every Nigerian is treated fairly and every public institution sees service as a moral duty.
“While our commitment to fighting corruption is unshakeable, we must be compliant with our commitment to human rights, the rule of law, and the principles of due process that guide and guard our activities within the public space. It is important, also, that law enforcement actions do not trample on civil liberties. Investigations must be fair, and prosecutions remain impartial and objective, and ensure we follow lawful procedures as provided by the Constitution and various other laws.”
Jane Onwumerre, Head, Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-corruption Reforms (TUGAR), who had earlier observed that the 2025 theme: Promoting Human Dignity in the Fight Against Corruption, was quite vital and timely, added: “We are reminded that corruption is not just a financial or legal issue, but a violation of the fundamental rights of our people. When resources for socioeconomic development are diverted, it undermines trust in institutions, hinders economic growth, and disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable.
“Corruption is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences. One that strips us of our Human dignity, a foundational Human Right that demands that every person has intrinsic worth and deserves to be valued and respected.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said corruption was not just financial misconduct but a direct attack on human dignity that deprives people of access to education, healthcare, clean water, and justice.
“It fuels poverty, undermines democracy, and erodes trust in public institutions. At NEITI, we confront corruption through facts, disclosures, civic engagement, and institutional partnerships”, he added.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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