Cases of corruption, terrorism, others to take different approach – DPP

The new Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Muhammad Etsu Umar, has said prosecution of cases of corruption, terrorism and others will now assume a different approach.
Speaking with the press on Tuesday, Umar said with over 20 years in prosecution, he will not be compromised or influenced in discharging his duty in his new position.
He said he is bringing with him his reputation of sticking to his guns against political influences, which brought him success in his position at the Nigerian Customs Service.
Responding to criticism of shoddy prosecution that has bedeviled most of the ongoing high profile cases, Umar said cases must now be subjected to a two-stage test that must be satisfied before commencing prosecution.
“There must be sufficient evidence and the prosecution must be in the public interest,” he said.
Umar admitted that the success of prosecution lies in the thoroughness of the investigation and the strength of evidence before the court.
As such, “we shall embark on massive training and retraining of our prosecutors, the right kind of training and mentoring that is necessary to equip us for the challenges of the fight against the 21st century crimes”.
Umar revealed that he has ordered all prosecutors with ongoing cases at the FCT and Federal High Courts, Appeal and Supreme Courts to submit a report on the status of the cases in order to re-strategise and deliver on the mandate.
Umar said he is open to partnership across board and calls for a synergy with other relevant law enforcement agencies.
He said: “We shall examine the new national policy on prosecution with a view of adhering strictly with it and ensuring consistency in the prosecutorial decision making process.”
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), appointed Umar as the new the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation following the redeployment of Mohammed Diri.
Before his new appointment, Umar headed the Legal Division of the Nigerian Customs Service.