Bribery Allegation: Group drags Buhari to court, insists Ameachi, Onu must be investigated and sacked
A
Non-Governmental Organisation known as Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human
Rights Foundation International yesterday filed a suit at the Abuja Division of
the Federal High Court, asking the court to issue an order of mandamus
compelling President Buhari to immediately sack Minister of Transport, Rotimi
Amaechi and his counterpart in Science & Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu.
According to the group, the sack of both Ministers is important after two Supreme Court judges, Inyang Okoro and Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, who are currently being investigated for corruption, accused both men of offering them bribe some years ago, Vanguard reports.
In a suit marked
FHC/ABJ/CS/857/2016, the group also asked the court to compel the Department of
State Security Service, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC to investigate the allegations of bribery. Cited as 1st to 5th
Defendants in the suit were Amaechi, Onu, the DSS, EFCC and President Buhari,
respectively.
Specifically, the
group through their lawyer, Okere Nnamdi, asked the court to determine
“Whether or not the
allegation made by two Justices of the Supreme Court namely Inyang Okoro
and Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta in connection with the criminal-like invasion of
their houses by agents of the State Security Service on alleged allegation of
corruption, which matter is already in public domain should be investigated and
those accused arrested and prosecuted by the 3rd and 4th Defendants.
Whether or not the
allegation made by two Justices of the Supreme Court namely Inyang Okoro and
Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta in connection with the criminal-like invasion of their
houses by agents of the State Security Service on alleged allegation of
corruption, which matter is already in public domain, is a reasonable ground to
warrant the 5th Defendant who is the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and who claims that his administration is fighting corruption, to sack
or compel the 1st and 2nd defendants to resign from office as Ministers,
pending when they are cleared of every allegation of corruption.
Whether or not the
3rd, 4th and 5th Defendants have failed to perform their constitutional and
statutory mandates by failing to: (a) for the 3rd and 4th defendants to
commence investigation, arrest and prosecute the 1st and 2nd defendants in this
suit based on the allegation by two Justices of the Supreme Court, namely
Inyang Okoro and Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta; and (b) for the 5th defendant by
refusing to sack the 1st and 2nd defendants as Ministers pending when they are
cleared of every allegation of corruption”.
Upon determination of
these questions, the group wants a declaration that the allegations made
against Ameachi and Onu are “grievous enough to warrant their arrest,
investigation and prosecution by the 3rd and 4th defendants.
A declaration of the
court that allegations against the Ministers are grievous enough to warrant
their removal from office without any further delay by the 5th Defendant
(President Buhari) who was also accused to have sent the 1st defendant
(Amaechi) on the mission to ensure that the All Progressives Congress, APC,
wins all their governorship election cases at all costs and by all means.
A declaration that the
allegation made against the 1st and 2nd defendants by the two Justices of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria as deposed in the affidavit in support of this
application, and the refusal of the 5th defendant to sack the 1st and 2nd
defendants are grievous enough to conclude that the 5th defendant’s fight
against corruption is window-dressing, witch-hunt, selective, high handed,
vindictive, malicious and prosecuted with gross disregard to the rule of
law.
An order of mandamus
compelling the 3rd and 4th defendants (DSS and EFCC) to immediately and without
further delay whatsoever, arrest, investigate and prosecute the 1st and 2nd
defendants in this suit, based on the allegations of corruption and attempt to
induce or bribe the Justices of the Supreme Court, in other to influence/induce
them to subvert the cause of justice. As well as, “An order of mandamus
compelling the 5th defendant to immediately and without any further delay
whatsoever sack or cause the 1st and 2nd defendants to resign from offices as
Minister of Transport and Minister of Science and Technology (respectively) without
any further delay on the ground of public interest, public morality and to
unable the 3rd and 4th defendants speedily carry out their statutory
responsibility of arresting and prosecuting the 1st and 2nd defendants, based
on the allegations of Hon. Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta and Hon. Justice
Inyang Okoro”.
No date has been fixed
for hearing of the case.
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