Abuja based lawyers, Osuagwu Ugochukwu and Ogboli Charles have raised alarm over what they tagged as the “sponsored acts of intimidation by ICPC ahead of May 30,2015 court suit against President Goodluck Jonathan.”
In a statement yesterday, the lawyers of Professor Cyriacus Njoku who is challenging Jonathan’s 2015 third term plot said “We are human right lawyers and Anti corruption Attorney and have been fighting corruption for over seven years. On 25 May 2012, today, we received a purported summons dated 23-05-2012 with no case file number and signed by one Abudullahi Tanko, who signed as Chairman of ICPC summoning Messrs Osuagwu Ugochukwu and Ogboli Charles Esq to appear before it on Monday 28/05/2012 to answer allegations over an alleged violation of ICPC Act 2000
“We view this summons as suspense act aimed at intimidating and discouraging us from exposing corrupt public officers. First, the summons has no case file number. Secondly, it was allegedly signed by one Abdullahi Tanko who signed as Chairman of ICPC. Thirdly, it claimed it is in respect of allegation against us for violating the ICPC Act for which no section of the Act was cited for this.
“ In view of the above, we urged you to look into this unconstitutional act by Mr Bako and Abdullahi Tanko who have turned ICPC to an institution of general investigation where a public officer will send a partition against a private individual”
The lawyers added,“Finally, we never wrote any petition to the ICPC. Lastly, we are never public officers and wonder why an allegation would be made against us as private Lawyers.We have to add that the said Abdullahi Tanko and one Bako G.N have been calling us with their mobile lines 08036002119 since over two months requesting that we appear in their office to “settle” a matter with the DG National Directorate of Employment. We never wrote any petition to ICPC over NDE. We only wrote the EFCC Chairman, requesting investigation of the DG, NDE. We therefore are surprised as to the nexus between Victory & Rose Associates’ petition to EFCC and the recent ICPC summons over NDE.
Even more ,they argued in the press release that “The said summons violates section 29 of the ICPC Act as it failed to state the substance of the complaint. We suspect this to be an orchestrated attempt to intimidate and harass us in our crusade against corruption in Nigeria. This summons is coming ahead of May 30 2012 date for continuation of hearing in the suit between Prof.Cyriacus Njoku vs. Goodluck Jonathan where we are counsel for the Plaintiff. This could probably be part of the ways to intimidate us from pursuing the suit in Court slated for Wednesday next week .”
Read their ‘media alert’ below:
MEDIA ALERT OVER SPONSORED ACTS OF INTIMIDATION BY ICPC AHEAD OF MAY 30 2015 COURT SUIT AGAINST JONATHAN
We are human right lawyers and Anti corruption Attorney and have been fighting corruption for over seven years. On 25 May 2012, today, we received a purported summons dated 23-05-2012 with no case file number and signed by one Abudullahi Tanko, who signed as Chairman of ICPC summoning Messrs OSUAGWU UGOCHUKWU and OGBOLI CHARLES ESQ to appear before it on Monday 28/05/2012 to answer allegations over an alleged violation of ICPC Act 2000
We view this summons as suspense act aimed at intimidating and discouraging us from exposing corrupt public officers. First, the summons has no case file number. Secondly, it was allegedly signed by one Abdullahi Tanko who signed as Chairman of ICPC. Thirdly, it claimed it is in respect of allegation against us for violating the ICPC Act for which no section of the Act was cited for this.
In view of the above, we urged you to look into this unconstitutional act by Mr Bako and Abdullahi Tanko who have tuned ICPC to an institution of general investigation where a public officer will send a partition against a private individual.
Finally, we never wrote any petition to the ICPC. Lastly, we are never public officers and wonder why an allegation would be made against us as private Lawyers.
We have to add that the said Abdullahi Tanko and one Bako G.N have been calling us
with their mobile lines 08036002119 since over two months requesting that we appear
in their office to “settle” a matter with the DG National Directorate of
Employment.
We never wrote any petition to ICPC over NDE. We only wrote the EFCC Chairman, requesting investigation of the DG, NDE. We therefore are surprised as to the nexus between Victory & Rose Associates’ petition to EFCC and the recent ICPC summons over
NDE.
The said summons violates section 29 of the ICPC Act as it failed to state the substance of the complaint. We suspect this to be an orchestrated attempt to intimidate and harass us in our crusade against corruption in Nigeria. This summons is coming ahead of May 30 2012
date for continuation of hearing in the suit between Prof.Cyriacus Njoku vs. Goodluck Jonathan where we are counsel for the Plaintiff. This could probably be part of the ways to intimidate us from pursuing the suit in Court slated for Wednesday next week .
OSUAGWU UGOCHUKWU ESQ OGBOLI CHARLES ESQ
May 25,2012
