Tobi Soniyi in Abuja
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted leave to a group, Kingdom Human Rights Foundation, to initiate proceedings for an order to arrest the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, over recent allegations levelled against them by two Justices of the Supreme Court.
The plaintiff, in its substantive suit, asked the court to make an order of mandamus compelling the Department of State Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to “perform their statutory obligation” by immediately arresting and prosecuting the two ministers.
The group also sought an order of mandamus compelling President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack both ministers “in public interest and public morality” based on allegations of attempts to influence court decisions as recently alleged by the two Justices of the Supreme Court.
Journalists in Abuja were yesterday served with copies of the enrolled order made by Justice Ahmed Mohammed granting leave to the plaintiff to go ahead with the suit.
The order was granted on December 1st.
The former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed was said to have informed President Muhammadu Buhari of the attempts by the ministers to influence the course of justice.
Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro, both of the Supreme Court, had also accused Amaechi and Onu of attempts to influence court decisions in some election cases between 2015 and 2016.
Ngwuta and Okoro levelled the allegations against Amaechi and Onu in separate letters addressed to Justice Mohammed as CJN after they were arrested by the DSS on allegations of corruption between October 7 and 8, 2016.
The justices had alleged that the DSS descended on them after they foiled Buhari’s ministers’ attempts to pervert the course of justice.
Weighty as the allegations are, the president had neglected to act on them.