Alleged N500,000 Bribe: APC Legal Adviser offers to step aside ‎ 

The National ‎ Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Muiz Banire, has offered to resign of his position over allegation of N500,000 bribery offered‎ to one James Agbadu-Fishim, a judge at the National Industrial Court, pending the conclusion of the investigation.

Banire in letter addressed to leadership of the ruling party‎ said in order to clear his name and the party’s name he will be stepping aside temporarily until the conclusion of the Investigation by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Mr. Agbadu-Fishim was among the judges who reported to the Lagos office of the EFCC on October 19 to write statements on the findings against them.

Banire who expressed shocked over the bribery allegation in the media said the N500,000 in question was only offered to James Agbadu-Fishim, who was a judge at the National Industrial Court, during the funeral of his mother. 

The letter reads in part, “Mr. Chairman, Sir, it is in view of the above circumstances that I wish to temporarily step aside from my position on our National Working Committee as the National Legal Adviser of our party until completion and final outcome of the EFCC investigation involving my person.” ‎‎

“The allegation, as I have come to understand it, is that a Statement of Account of one Judge of the National Industrial Court, the Honourable Justice J.T Agbadu-Fishim, who is subject of an ongoing EFCC’s investigation, contained a June 2013 entry of a ‘N500,000’ payment ascribed as being from one ‘Dr. Muiz B.’ 

“I did not hesitate in confirming that this probably referred to me because I remember that about three years ago, I received a text message from someone I recollected at the time to be an old colleague in my days as a lecturer at the University of Lagos, an ‘Agbadu-Fishim’ who was then a Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, informing me of the death and funeral programme of his mother. 

“As far as assumption goes, he was to me, at the time of his contact, still employed by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies; he never informed me that he had moved on to become a Judge of any court in Nigeria, and I have never throughout my career as a legal practitioner or public functionary ever appeared in any case before any judge whatsoever at the National Industrial Court… “

Indeed, it was with considerable difficulty that I was able to eventually recognise his face when I eventually saw him again (after 17 years of my leaving the University of Lagos) on my attendance at the EFCC on Thursday the 3rd of November, 2016. “I considered it necessary to assist an old friend in dire need. Without any further prompting, he sent his account details to me and I made a cash gift of N500,000 to him. ‎

“My review of the two case files which I came to be conscious of after my interactions with the EFCC shows that one of them was amicably settled between the parties for a sum less than N1.2 million, thereby technically losing the case, whilst they won the other and that the combined professional fees (net of taxes) for the two cases was less than N22 million,” said Mr. Banire.

 “While protesting my innocence, and will therefore do everything within legal limits to defend myself, I have, from the first instance, become aware of the allegation, offered my full cooperation to the EFCC and will continue to cooperate with, and give it all the assistance it may require of me in the course of its ongoing investigation into the matter.”

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook