…says cases decided on merit
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu is influencing the withdrawal of charges against allies of his administration.
Speaking on Friday at the sidelines of the 2025 Ministry of Justice top management retreat held at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Fagbemi said the judiciary under the current administration remains committed to the rule of law and independent decision-making.
He explained that some high-profile cases were withdrawn because they lacked substantive evidence, citing the matters involving Honeywell Group Chairman, Dr. Oba Otudeko, and former Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) Managing Director, Ahmed Yusuf.
“What has the president got to do with this? These are criminal cases, and we are doing what is appropriate,” Fagbemi said. “Prosecution must not be weaponised. Each case is treated on its merit. If there’s no case, there’s no need to waste government resources or the court’s time.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier filed 13-count charges against Otudeko, former First Bank Managing Director Olabisi Onasanya, former Honeywell board member Soji Akintayo, and Anchorage Leisure Limited, accusing them of fraudulently obtaining N12.3 billion in credit facilities.
Fagbemi maintained that prosecutorial decisions are based purely on evidence, not politics or sentiment.
He clarified that in the case of former AMCON boss Ahmed Kuru, there was no link to any wrongdoing, saying, “There was nothing to try him for; the matter involved an investment by AMCON of about 20 million.”
He reiterated that the Ministry of Justice would continue to ensure fairness and integrity in its legal processes.
“So both the principal and the interest were recovered by the EFCC. It was not in any individual’s name. So what offence has been committed?
But don’t forget, there are two other cases. There was one involving, I think, about 5 billion, involving another person, whose name I cannot remember now. For that one, because we believe that there is, what I would call, a prima facie case, we said it should continue.
“There is another one against Kuru, in relation to his activities as either a manager or so in Arik Airline. That one, I also found that there are some questions to be answered.
“In other words, we have a prima facie case against him there, and I ordered that that one should continue. So they are on it in respect of that one”.
On Otudeko, he said, “Then, coming to the issue of Oba Otudeko, which has to do with the management of First Bank. What happened was that the complainants came and said, ‘We are withdrawing our complaints.’
“The complainants said ‘we have gotten all that we thought was lost or was taken away’. Both parties agreed. So why do you want to waste government resources again?
