Special Prosecutor hasn’t conducted himself well and needs adult supervision – Martin Kpebu

Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has criticized the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for failing to provide adequate oversight, which threatens public confidence in the institution. The controversy surrounding the OSP over the past year and a half, Kpebu believes, may be a result of the conduct and leadership style of the current Special Prosecutor.

He emphasized that the Special Prosecutor, as the chief executive, serves as the public face of the organization and their actions can impact the institution's reputation. Kpebu argued that the law establishing the OSP lacks sufficient safeguards to regulate the occupant's conduct, suggesting that the framers of the law assumed the best of intentions in appointing the Special Prosecutor.

The absence of adequate checks and balances has also contributed to the current tensions, according to Kpebu. The recent Supreme Court ruling on the constitutional challenge to the OSP's prosecutorial powers, upheld the OSP's legality and affirmed the Attorney-General's authority, providing some institutional restraint. However, Kpebu insists that the OSP's occupant, specifically, requires adult supervision due to his unsatisfactory performance.