Former Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono-Obla, has suggested that numerous individuals who held positions in President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration deserve imprisonment.
Obono-Obla, who worked under former President Muhammadu Buhari, made this statement in response to recent remarks by Obasanjo, implying that certain government officials should be incarcerated.
Obono-Obla criticized the former president for drawing conclusions solely on unproven accusations. As a legal professional with extensive experience, he emphasized that mere allegations do not equate to guilt until established by a competent court of law.
He stated, “So many people in Obasanjo’s eight-year presidency equally should have been in jail. However, as a lawyer, I can not subscribe to such fallacious arguments no matter how attractive they sound. That is a fundamental principle of law.
“Having said that, I think it is in the realm of speculation or rumour-mongering to suggest so, and so a person ought to be in jail.
“Was the allegation against such a person investigated? Was a prima facie case established against the person?
“Was he convicted before a court of competent jurisdiction?”, he questioned.
