The CUPP, the Nigerian Bar Association, a former NBA President, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Chief Edward Ashiekaa (SAN) have faulted
The CUPP, the Nigerian Bar Association, a former NBA President, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Chief Edward Ashiekaa (SAN) have faulted the AGF’s directive on freezing the bank accounts of the embattled CJN, Walter Onnoghen.
The Federal Government had ordered that restrictions be placed on five bank accounts belonging to the embattled Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen and domiciled in Standard Chartered Bank. The restriction order was contained in a letter with reference number HAGF/2019/E06/Vol.01, by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), dated January 14, 2019 and addressed to the Director, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The letter, which was signed by Abiodun Aikomo on behalf of the AGF, asked that normal banking operations be restricted on the CJN’s accounts domiciled in Standard Chartered Bank, pending the final determination of the case against the CJN at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. According to the letter, the directive was given in pursuant to the Presidential Executive Order 6 of 2018.
Reacting to the order, Agbakoba said the AGF could not validly rely on the Presidential Executive Order 6 because the charges the CJN was being tried for were about false assets declaration and not corruption. He said, “It is not proper for the AGF to issue those directives because he is not being tried on corruption charges. He was charged with false declaration of assets. So, for me the AGF has exceeded his power to issue those directives. So I expect that lawyers, of course, will challenge it. The AGF cannot do that.”
In his reaction, Ozekhome said with the AGF’s directive, the nation was heading towards full-blown dictatorship. He said, “They showed their clear intentions when they filed simultaneously a motion that he should excuse himself as the CJN. Somehow, the plan backfired on the government because of the unanimous public uproar and rejection that greeted it and the tactical move of Onnoghen’s lawyers who refused him appearing physically in court.”
Also, the NBA condemned Malami for the freezing of Onnoghen’s bank accounts without the backing of a court order, saying it is a complete abuse. The NBA President, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN), said the NBA was going to issue a comprehensive response to the development. He said, “I am not aware that the AGF has gone to court to obtain a court order for the freezing of the account of the CJN. If he has not obtained the court order permitting him to do it, then it is wrong and it is a complete abuse.”
Meanwhile, the National Spokesperson of Coalition of United Political Parties, Ikenga Ugochinyere has described the development as another plot by the government of the All Progressives Congress to harm Onnoghen for refusing to compromise the composition of the post-2019 election Supreme Court Appeal Tribunal. Ugochinyere further alleged that efforts to also make Onnoghen compose Supreme Court Appeal Tribunal for the governorship elections in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Lagos, Benue, Imo, Kwara, Plateau, Kaduna, Abia and Sokoto states with their preferred choices of judges did not succeed.
He added, “The current ordeal of the Honourable CJN will not end soon. He is up against people who are desperate and who do not care if the engine of state grinds to a halt. They have taken this dastardly attack to a new low by freezing all the family assets of the CJN.”
