The Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA) says the current government possesses the political will to prosecute anyone indicted of corrupt practices.
The Chairman of the agency, Justice Eni Esan (rtd), stated this on Wednesday during a sensitization media chat in Ibadan.
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She promised that the agency would investigate any individual linked with corruption no matter how highly placed, irrespective of the political party or social status, stressing “everyone is equal before the law.’’
Esan said the agency was not subjected to the control of any authority and would conduct its investigation discreetly and with human dignity.
The chairman said that the agency was set up to promote good governance, accountability and make the state free of corrupt practices.
“The agency is at the hub of the Oyo State fight against corruption and our vision is to see the state free from all forms of corruption.
“Nobody will tell us the type of people to investigate, we will investigate any individual that is reported to us no matter the political lineage or social standing.
“We implore the public that has one form of complaint or the other not to shy away from reporting any case of corruption to the agency,” the retired judge said.
She said that the agency has its competent investigators trained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and some more would still be trained
Esan said that the law establishing the agency gave them the responsibility of investigating either on their own initiative or from complaints received from other persons.
“We investigate complaints against the state MDAs, local governments, institutions owned by government, companies, and individuals.
“Our responsibilities also include, investigation of the allegation of improper execution of government contracts and recovery of stolen funds, among others.
“We don’t have prosecutorial power, ours is to investigate complaints on corruption allegations and send to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution,” Esan said.
The chairman said the agency had so far received five complaints from the public since its inauguration on December 22, 2020.
She said that not all the investigated cases would be sent to AGF for prosecution in court, but some would be settled by the agency and the money involved recovered.