BY EZEKIEL DONTINNA
Plateau State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Philemon Audu Daffi, has vowed to implement any report brought before his table on land grabbing issues if all findings were duly registered.
He made this promise Monday while responding to questions from journalists shortly after presenting the ministry’s score card at the on-going ministerial press briefing organised by the Ministry for Information and Communication, held at the conference hall of the J.D Gomwalk Secretariat, Jos.
He said: “We want to establish that the function of the Ministry of Justice is not to investigate. It does not have the constitutional power to investigate, but prosecute.
“Now, when investigated reports are not brought for prosecution, there is nothing we can do about it. But I want to assure you that, we are ready to do what we must do that is worth doing when proper steps are taken.
“So, when we are talking about land grabbing, the Anti-Land Grabbing Law is already in place and we need the investigation to prosecute. So the possession is not about the prosecution but investigation so, we are waiting to prosecute land grabbing report head long.”
Daffi added that Plateau State would not allow the prosecution of its attackers to be taken to Abuja, insisting that, “this is going to be the last time any person caught in Plateau over the matter of crisis will be taken to Abuja and be tolerated. We will not take that anymore!
“Everybody must be prosecuted here on the Plateau because the offence was committed in Plateau State, the evidence is in Plateau State and the victims are in Plateau State.
“There is no need to take anybody anywhere. The prosecution must take place in Plateau State. That is our position and we are changing nothing about that.”
Other ministries that presented their score cards included the Ministry of Health; Ministry for Water Resources and Energy; Ministry for Environment, Climate Change and Mineral Development; Ministry for Tourism, Culture and Hospitality; and the Ministry for Science and Technology.
