The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria (MMWG) has called on the Federal Government to abolish plea bargaining for economic crimes and subject National Assembly remuneration to a comprehensive review, asserting that weak legal frameworks are fuelling corruption and exacerbating insecurity.
In a statement to commemorate 1st Muharram 1448 AH – the advent of the new Islamic calendar year – the group’s National Coordinator, Ustaz Ibrahim Abdullahi, and National Secretary, Dr Nasir Balogun, argued that corruption remains a primary driver of the nation’s security challenges.
The MMWG lamented the absence of robust legislation capable of deterring grave economic offences, a lacuna it believes has fuelled poverty, mass unemployment, systemic injustice, and educational deprivation among Nigerian youth.
Reiterating its stance, the group renewed its demand for the “benchmarking of bailable economic crimes and the abolition of plea bargaining”.
“There must be no room for leniency or negotiation with those who plunder our national treasury, irrespective of their status,” the group asserted. It added that the current wave of corruption is “unimaginable” precisely because the law has historically failed to impose sufficiently stringent penalties. Specifically, the group insists that lawmakers’ compensation packages must be subjected to urgent and exhaustive scrutiny.
Drawing a direct parallel between graft and the escalating security crisis, the MMWG warned that insecurity has attained “an alarming proportion” which now imperils both the credibility of the forthcoming general elections and the overall welfare of the populace.
The group called on the Federal Government to leverage its international diplomatic capital to curtail the menace, while simultaneously accelerating the deployment of advanced technology to combat terrorism, banditry, and mass kidnapping.
Although commending the military and other security agencies for their sacrifices, the MMWG urged all tiers of government to ensure the prompt release of approved annual budgetary allocations to properly equip the forces for the arduous battle against national insecurity.
The 1st of Muharram 1448 AH signifies the Hijra – the historic migration of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions from Mecca to Medina following persecution. Nigerian Muslims have, since 1980, observed the Islamic New Year with mass rallies, public lectures, and student parades across the country.