Okoi Obono-Obla, the former Chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, has stated that many individuals who served during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s time in office should be in jail. However, as a lawyer, he emphasized that guilt must be proven in a court of law and cannot be based solely on allegations.
Obono-Obla was responding to a recent comment by former President Obasanjo, who suggested that many current public officials in Nigeria deserve to be imprisoned. Obono-Obla countered by saying that the same could be said about those who served during Obasanjo’s presidency, but he stressed that legal procedures must be followed.
He underscored the importance of investigating allegations, establishing a prima facie case, and securing a conviction in a competent court before assuming guilt.