You can escape anything with right political connections in Nigeria – Sanusi

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has alleged that people can escape accountability for wrongdoing in Nigeria if they have the right political connections.

Sanusi made the remark during an interview with Channels Television in Lagos at the public presentation of Unexplained Wealth: A Trilogy of Nigerian Financial Law, a three-volume book authored by anti-corruption lawyer, Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN).

The Emir said reviewing existing laws to address unexplained wealth was important but argued that stronger implementation of the laws and institutions responsible for enforcing them was equally necessary.

He said Nigeria already had institutions and courts empowered to investigate and prosecute corruption cases but suggested that political considerations could sometimes influence how such cases were handled.

“We have seen in this country people who are facing corruption charges who basically just get those charges dropped because they belong to the right political environment or have the right political support,” Sanusi said.

He questioned whether some corruption proceedings were genuinely aimed at fighting corruption or had become part of political battles.

“So people begin to wonder is this really a fight against corruption or is it a political battle?” he asked.

Sanusi cited the case of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, while discussing concerns about the use of legal processes in corruption-related matters.

“An example is my brother Nasir El-Rufai who’s been denied bail. He’s been in detention for seven months, not having been convicted for anything using the courts,” he said.

Sanusi’s comments on El-Rufai reflected his own concern about the legal process; they did not establish that the former governor had been unlawfully detained or that the case was politically motivated.

The Emir said politicians, public officials and members of the judiciary had a responsibility to ensure that laws were applied for the purposes for which they were enacted.

“Now until the politicians and those who control political office and the judiciary decide that they are going to use these laws for the purpose for which they are set up, we’re not going to get anywhere,” he said.

He also backed efforts to examine the legal framework surrounding unexplained wealth, saying Dr Shittu’s work had helped identify gaps and propose measures that could strengthen the fight against corruption.

“I think what Dr. Shittu has done is to look at the laws. I’m not a lawyer, I’m still an undergraduate law student and this would be something that I would find extremely useful in my studies,” Sanusi said.

According to him, the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts would depend not only on the laws themselves but also on the institutions responsible for implementing them.

“So the laws are one thing and I think it’s a good thing that we’re looking at the laws, but we also have to look at the institutions that are involved in the promotion of the law and that is how you make progress,” he said.

Sanusi concluded that without effective institutional enforcement, political influence could undermine accountability.

“Otherwise anyone knows that you can get away with anything if you have the right political connections,” he said.

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