The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has stated that the war against corruption by the regime led by the President, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), must be won irrespective of temporary setbacks.
Lawan stated this in his remarks after a bill seeking to establish the Witness Protection and Management Framework scaled second reading at the plenary on Tuesday.
The Senate President also noted that the fight against corruption must be vigorously pursued by the government to ensure the eventual elimination of graft, given that same is capable of hindering Nigeria’s development.
Lawan added that the Witness Protection Bill, if passed and signed into law, would be an incentive that encourages witnesses to testify in corruption cases since their protection is guaranteed under the law.
Sponsor of the ‘Bill for an Act to Establish the Witness Protection and Management Framework,’ Senator Suleiman Kwari, said the bill was first read on February 23, 2021.
According to Kwari, it was also listed among the bills of interest and international significance contained in the recent executive communication from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), which was read on the floor of the Senate on the 19th of January 2022.
Kwari further recalled that the Witness Protection and Management Bill and Whistle-Blower Bill were initially considered as co-joined in a single bill by the 8th National Assembly and passed in 2017.
He added that following a technical stakeholders roundtable comprising of representatives of relevant criminal justice system operators, it was resolved that both bills be unbundled to allow Law Enforcement Agencies currently running witness protection programs to continue in that wise.
