Rotimi Amaechi
A group, Kingdom Human Rights Foundation, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order for the arrest of the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, both of whom were accused by two Justices of the Supreme Court, Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro of attempts to compromise them.
The plaintiff is also seeking an order of mandamus to compel President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack both ministers in public interest and morality as the allegations to compromise Supreme Court justices were too weighty for any public office holder.
The group which filed the suit with number FHC/ABJ/CS/857/2016 through its counsel, Mr. Okere Kingdom, on Monday also filed an ex parte motion seeking leave to properly commence the legal action as stipulated in the rules.
Joined in the suit as defendants are Amaechi, Onu, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and President Muhammadu Buhari .
In its originating summons, the group stated that “the allegations made against the 1st and 2nd defendants (Amaechi and Onu) by the two Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria… are grievous enough to warrant their arrest, investigation and prosecution by the 3rd and 4th defendants (DSS and EFCC).”
According to the plaintiff, these allegations were weighty enough “to warrant their removal from office without 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 wins all their governorship election cases at all costs and by all means.”
The plaintiff also sought an order of mandamus compelling the DSS and EFCC to “immediately and without further delay whatsoever, arrest, investigate and prosecute the 1st and 2nd defendants (Amaechi and Onu), based on the allegations of corruption and attempt to induce or bribe the Justices of the Supreme Court”.
It also sought another order of mandamus compelling President Buhari “to immediately and without any further delay whatsoever sack or cause the 1st and 2nd defendants to resign from offices as Minister of Transportation and Minister of Science and Technology on the ground of public interest, public morality and to enable the 3rd (DSS) and 4th (EFCC) defendants speedily carry out their statutory responsibility of arresting and prosecuting the 1st and 2nd defendants.”
In the wake of the arrests of some judges and Justices of the Supreme by men of the DSS recently, two Supreme Court justices openly named Amaechi and Onu as arrowheads in a surreptitious move between 2015 and 2016 to compromise them in order to influence the course of justice in electoral cases.
