Some senior lawyers and civil society groups on Tuesday condemned the planned scrapping of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, as recommended by the Committee on Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals and Agencies.
The committee, chaired by Mr. Steve Oronsaye, submitted its final report to President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday.
One of the committee’s most striking recommendations was the scrapping of the EFCC and the ICPC, with their functions taken over by the police.
Reacting to the recommendation in separate telephone interviews with our correspondents on Tuesday, senior lawyers including Prof. Itse Sagay, Chief Tayo Oyetibo, and Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, faulted the recommendation.
Also, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin of the Campaign for Democracy, and the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders condemned the plan.
Sagay described the recommendation as shocking and unacceptable.
He said, “I was a bit shocked because anyone who is serious about the eradication of corruption will not be making such a recommendation.
“If the police was efficient, there would have been no need to establish the EFCC and the ICPC.
“It is very surprising and totally unacceptable”
Jacobs said the recommendation was not in the best interest of the country.
He said, “I don’t know whether they are making the recommendation in the best interest of the country. It will take us back to the era of impunity and lawlessness, it will take us back to the dark ages.”
Oyetibo noted that the EFCC and ICPC could be merged, if necessary.
He said, “It will be a great disservice to Nigerians to scrap the EFCC and ICPC.
“It may be understandable if they want to merge the two bodies, it is wrong to scrap them.”
A statement by the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, described the plan as faulty.
Adeniran said it was amazing that such recommendation could be made at a time the nation was “swimming in the sea of corruption and working tirelessly to redeem her image among the comity of nations.”
In the same vein, Okei-Odumakin opposed the recommendation, but noted that the EFCC and ICPC should be merged.
He said, “EFCC and ICPC should be merged while many of the other agencies recommended for scrapping should go.