Bishop Ephraim Ikeakor, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Amichi in Anambra, has charged the nation’s judiciary to join meaningfully in the fight against corruption for sustainable development.
Ikeakor gave the charge on Friday in Onitsha, Anambra at the inauguration of the new Episcopal House of the Diocese on the Niger.
He said that the judiciary, as an arm of government to must always fight to “pin down corruption’’.
“I am not just worried; in that regard I am even depressed, because the level of discovery is very worrisome, it’s very, very depressing. It is terrible.
“Even they that are unveiling these things where would they end, that is my worry.
“At a time now, you will hear, `Oh’, it has been swept under the carpet.
“More than dangerous discoveries and revelations have been made before; more than these, where did we end.
“The problem of this country is not to see a situation that is worrisome, but how do we handle it.
“So I challenge the National Assembly to give us a very meaningful outcome from these discoveries; let the culprits be brought to book, at least for once.
“Let Nigeria jail people who are corrupt. And others would know we are serious.
“All these lip service and policy making and paper condemnation, television condemnation, we are tired. Let us see action.
“Let people be put in prison; if Nigeria judiciary has condemned Ibori, other governors would have been more careful.
“But here, I confronted a High Court judge after my sermon somewhere, and he said: `oh you were really speaking against the judiciary, it wasn’t fair.’??
“I said 170-count charges were brought against a man and you gave him a clean slate, it is a terrible situation.
“So let the judiciary rise-up, let the legislature rise-up, let every aspect of this country and the anti-graft agencies; let them stop this hide-and-seek game.
“Lets confront this matter, corruption is our greatest enemy.’’
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