Political connections can help people escape justice in Nigeria — Sanusi

The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has criticised the implementation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws, saying people can evade accountability if they have the right political connections.

Sanusi spoke in an interview with Channels Television in Lagos during the public presentation of Unexplained Wealth: A Trilogy of Nigerian Financial Law, a three-volume book authored by anti-corruption lawyer, Dr Wahab Shittu, SAN.

He said reviewing existing laws was necessary to address unexplained wealth and strengthen the fight against corruption, but stressed that effective enforcement remained equally important.

Sanusi, who described himself as an undergraduate law student, said Shittu’s work examined existing laws, identified weaknesses and proposed measures to improve the identification and recovery of unexplained wealth.

He noted that Nigeria already had institutions and courts responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption cases but argued that political considerations could undermine their effectiveness.

“We have seen in this country people who are facing corruption charges who basically just get those charges dropped because they belong to the right political environment or have the right political support,” he said.

Sanusi also raised questions about the handling of corruption cases involving political figures, citing former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

“An example is my brother Nasir El-Rufai, who’s been denied bail. He’s been in detention for seven months, not having been convicted of anything in court,” he said.

According to him, situations such as this could make Nigerians question whether some corruption proceedings were genuinely aimed at fighting corruption or were influenced by political considerations.

“So people begin to wonder, is this really a fight against corruption or is it a political battle?” he asked.

Sanusi called on political leaders, public officials and the judiciary to ensure that laws were applied for the purposes for which they were enacted.

He said reviewing legislation alone would not be enough without strengthening the institutions responsible for enforcing the laws.

“Otherwise, anyone knows that you can get away with anything if you have the right political connections,” Sanusi said.