The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court was on Monday,
asked to issue an order of mandamus compelling President
Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the Minister of
Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and his counterpart in Science &
Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
A Non-Governmental Organisation under the aegis of
Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation
International, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/857/2016,
equally prayed the court to compel the Department of State
Security Service, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, to investigate allegation that the two
Ministers attempted to induce Justices of the Supreme Court
to subvert the cause of justice.
Cited as 1st to 5th Defendants in the suit were Amaechi, Onu,
the DSS, EFCC and President Buhari, respectively. Specifically,
the plaintiff through its lawyer, Mr. Okere Nnamdi, is praying
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 the questions, the plaintiff 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”.
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