Jail The Looters, Sultan Of Sokoto Tells President Buhari

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) to jail those found guilty of embezzlement and confiscate their property.

Speaking on the President’s anti-corruption crusade at the National Security Summit 2015 organized by the Nigeria Police and The Sun Newspapers in Abuja, the Sultan said: “We are 100 percent in support of your fight against corruption in this country. It is our belief that all those found guilty should not only have their entire assets seized and forfeited to government but also they should face jail sentences. In order to establish a decent state, corruption must be fought to a standstill”.

The Sultan cited the culture of leadership in the days of the Caliphate, saying of his ancestors: “On his employees, the ruler must urge his caliphate leaders to estimate their wealth before appointing them, and should watch their conduct at all times. He shall confiscate whatever is in excess of their legitimate income, and if in doubt confiscate half of it.”

On community partnership in crime prevention, he said: “Traditional leaders have continued to enjoy a pride of place in the national security architecture. What has contributed to the success of traditional institutions in managing security includes the majority of the community who share in the subsisting values that subordinates individual and private interest to the general interest of the society.

“Regardless of how many mosques or churches you have built or the charitable works you have carried out, the community will still wish to know the source of your wealth; the respectability you desire will only be conferred when the legitimacy of this source is verified and certified. To ensure that our security agencies become truly a 21st century outfit with the ability to discharge their mandate effectively, we should be able to cater for their operational needs and the welfare of their members, so that when we say they serve and protect they should be able to do that.

“We should endeavour to build sturdy bridges and bridge the gaps between our security agencies and the communities. The record of the recent past is before us. Whatever we do should be meaningful and sustainable.

“The Nigerian Police and other security agencies must join the crusade against corruption. Regardless of how well-trained and equipped (you are) you cannot attain your full potentials if corruption and corrupt elements grace the corridors. Those who corrupt our national institutions from the outside must face the same consequences as those who do it from within.

“I also wish to call upon you, to institute a national integrity plan for this country as soon as feasible, which we believe will refocus our moral, ethical and spiritual energies and the indefatigable spirit of our people into building a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic country which shall take its pride of place in the comity of nations,” the Sultan said.