WARRI DELINEATION: Lawyer seeks probe, warns against political manipulation, violence

Lawyer and politician, Chief Robinson Ariyo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to investigate the Warri delineation exercise, saying there are allegations of financial inducement to favour some areas over others. Ariyo also called on the President to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to provide an independent written legal opinion on the legality of the exercise. In a statement, he urged the President to direct relevant agencies to preserve all documents and records relating to the exercise and investigate allegations of financial misconduct, security compromises and electoral irregularities.

He further called for an independent forensic audit of private surveillance contracts relating to Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta, particularly those whose financial transactions, beneficiaries or performance records might be connected to the allegations surrounding the Warri delineation controversy. Ariyo also urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, to investigate credible allegations of suspicious dollar transactions, unexplained financial inflows and possible financial inducement of political actors, public officers, electoral personnel and security operatives in connection with the controversy. The statement reads: “That the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice be requested to provide an independent, written legal opinion on the legality of the ongoing Warri delineation exercise, identifying the applicable constitutional provisions, statutory powers, judicial orders and procedural requirements governing the exercise. The opinion should specifically distinguish…