Nigerian presidency said the conviction of embattled Chief justice Walter Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false assets declaration is “a major victory for the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration”.
“The rule of law would lose its meaning and validity if only the weak, the poor and powerless are punished for their violations of the law. Countries succeed because the rule of law is evenly upheld and enforced,” President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu said on Thursday.
“The war against corruption would go nowhere if the high and mighty are spared because of their influence and connections. You can’t fight corruption by allowing impunity because the rule of law cannot function where impunity is tolerated,” he added.
Although Onnoghen reportedly resigned few weeks after his trial at the tribunal began, the chairman of the tribunal Dalnadi Umar said he should be removed immediately. He was also stripped of all benefits attached to former offices he held. Read more