A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, granted a motion filed by the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, seeking to amend his two separate suits filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others.
Justice Inyang Ekwo granted the application after it was moved by Saraki’s counsel, Tunde Afe-Babalola, SAN, and was not opposed by the defence lawyers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Ekwo had, on Jan. 25, struck out the two suits filed by Saraki against the anti-graft agency and others for lack of diligent prosecution.
The ex-Senate president had filed the suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/507/2019 and FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2019 at the FHC on May 10, 2019.
In the suits, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and State Security Service (SSS) are 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.
Others are EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as 4th to 6th respondents respectively.
But after the suits were struck out on Jan. 25, the ex-Senate president, through his lawyer, approached the court for a relisting of the cases to the cause list of the court.
Saraki had filed a motion on notice dated Feb. 1 and filed Feb. 3 pursuant to Order 19, Rule 1 and 3, Order 26, Rule 3 of FHC Civil Procedure Rules, 2019 to urge the court for the relisting of the suits and his prayers were granted by the judge.
However, upon resumed hearing on the cases on Monday, Afe-Babalola informed the court that a motion to amend their originating motion was filed on July 29 and that all the respondents were served on July 31.
Lawyer to the SSS, Abdulsalam Abdullahi; EFCC’s lawyer, G.I. Ndeh, including ICPC’S lawyer, Glory Iroegbu and CCB’s counsel, I.T. Mongu, did not oppose Afe-Babalola’s application to amend his originating motion.
Justice Ekwo, therefore, granted the reliefs and adjourned the matter until Feb. 6, 2025 for hearing.
“Any counsel that will be responsible for the matter not being heard on that day, will be personally penalised,” the judge warned.
NAN recalls that the former Senate president had filed the suits following the EFCC’s decision in 2019 to probe Saraki’s earnings between 2003 and 2011 when he was governor of Kwara.
The anti-graft commission was reported to have seized some of his houses in the Ikoyi area of Lagos then.
However, Saraki, on May 10, 2019, filed the two separate suits before retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo to challenge the action of the EFCC.
Justice Taiwo, who was the presiding judge then, ruled on an ex-parte application filed along with the substantive suits.
The judge ordered the anti-corruption agency (4th respondent) and the other five respondents to the suits to stay action on the probe pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicant.
The order was granted after Saraki’s lawyer moved the application on May 14, 2019.
The court had directed the parties to maintain the status quo by suspending the probe.
But the EFCC later applied that the judge should recuse himself and the matter be transferred to another court.
Justice Taiwo sent back the case file to the chief judge and the matter was reassigned to Justice Anwuli Chikere for adjudication.
When the matter came up on July 14, 2021 before Justice Chikere, EFCC Counsel, Chile Okoronkwo, complained that Taiwo’s order had hindered the agency “from performing its duty for about two years.”
The lawyer, who stated that Saraki continued to hinge on the order of the court any time he is invited, urged the court to vacate the order.
But the suits were reassigned to Justice Ekwo following the retirement of Chikere.
