A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Robert Clarke, has decried the rate of corruption in Nigeria, saying that the menace is more rampant in the National Assembly.

He said this on Sunday, during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

“The citadel of corruption today is in the National Assembly and State Assemblies and in the Executive arm of government,” he said.

Clarke’s comments follow the implementation of the Executive Order (6) signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, to prevent government officials from engaging in corrupt practices.

The order seeks to restrain owners of assets under investigation from carrying out any further transaction on such assets.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the 50 prominent personalities (whose names were not stated) had been placed on a watch-list and are, therefore, restricted from leaving the country pending the determination of their cases.

Although the lawyer praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the ongoing war against corruption, he faulted the Federal Government for the travel ban, saying that only a court of competent jurisdiction can restrict one who is on trial from travelling out of the country.

He said, “You cannot just say that somebody cannot travel out. And if you have to say it, you have to go to court first. We have a constitution; the constitution says every Nigerian shall have the right to free movement.

“Therefore, if anybody wants to restrict a Nigerian’s freedom of movement for one reason or the other, he must go to court.

“Then he gets an Order ex-parte but that ex-parte order is an interim order which allows the other party to go to court and challenge it.

“Therefore, Government in its good sense will not just go and tell Customs or Immigration that Mr A should not be allowed to travel out.”