The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has asked lawyers to stop writing frivolous petitions against judges and personnel of anti-corruption agencies.
ICPC chairman, Musa Aliyu, made this call when members of the National Litigation Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
According to him, unnecessary petitions against judges and officers discourage those who are working hard to fight corruption in the country.
“Writing unnecessary petitions against officers of the commission and judges without concrete justification is not proper, as we are all colleagues and partners in the fight against corruption,” he said.
The ICPC boss said appropriate professional measures should be explored in resolving issues arising between lawyers and anti-corruption officers in the course of investigations and litigations.
He charged the NBA to always draw the attention of the commission to any issue involving their operation.
“In ICPC, there is no harassment of lawyers. We ensure that the rights of lawyers are protected, and also the rights of our officers in the cause of their duties.
“We at ICPC, we try our best to see that we protect the rights of suspects and their lawyers,” he added.
Earlier, Chairman of the NBA committee, Vincent Otaokpokpu, said the visit was to brief him about the responsibilities of the committee
Otaokpokpu said the committee was set up by the current leadership of the NBA to protect the rights of the lawyers while doing their jobs.
