From Audu Ishaq
The suspension of EFCC Prosecutor Chime Samuel over bribery allegations has exposed a deep credibility crisis at the heart of Nigeria’s anti-corruption war. Once entrusted with some of the country’s most sensitive prosecutions, Chime is now accused of monetising justice, collecting bribes, weaponising prosecutions against certain targets, and shielding others based on financial influence.
His fall has effectively contaminated every case he handled and shattered public confidence in the integrity of the EFCC’s prosecutorial process.
Key cases linked to Chime now stand as symbols of prosecutorial excess and abuse of power. His handling of the prosecution of Yakubu Adamu, Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, was marked by relentless aggression, multiple arraignments and sustained opposition to bail, raising serious questions as to whether the case was driven by the pursuit of justice or by ulterior motives now laid bare by his suspension.
Even more damning are developments surrounding an Abuja land dispute involving Mrs. Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, her husband Engineer Isaac Godwin, and their company, Homadil Realty Limited. Despite evidence that the family lawfully acquired the property through registered and verifiable channels, Chime pursued them while ignoring fundamental questions surrounding the original sellers. It has since emerged that he allegedly maintained private dealings with the rival Yesufu family, the very parties contesting the land. Allegations of financial inducement now hang heavily over his decision to criminalise the buyers rather than investigate the transaction itself.
More egregious still is the reported prosecution of Rebecca Godwin-Isaac, Engineer Isaac, and Homadil Realty Limited on identical charges in two separate courts simultaneously, a clear abuse of process widely regarded as unlawful, malicious, and designed to intimidate, exhaust, and break the defendants. This was not justice; it was prosecutorial harassment backed by state power.
With Chime’s suspension now confirmed, the consequences are unavoidable. Court cases he handled have been abruptly adjourned, publicly attributed to illness but widely understood to be the fallout from his removal. This lack of transparency has only deepened public outrage and reinforced perceptions of an institutional cover-up within the EFCC.
The scandal has triggered urgent calls for the EFCC to publicly audit every case prosecuted by Chime Samuel, vacate tainted proceedings, compensate victims of prosecutorial misconduct, and confront the systemic failures that allowed one individual to abuse state authority for personal gain.
This is no longer about one corrupt prosecutor. It is about innocent citizens, Rebecca Godwin-Isaac, Engineer Isaac, their company, and others yet unknown, whose lives were destabilised by a justice system turned predatory. Until accountability is enforced and meaningful reforms are implemented, Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign will continue to ring hollow.
Sir Audu Ishaq is the Public Affairs Analyst and Convener, Crusade for the Promotion of Integrity and Discipline in Nigeria.
