Court Fixes Dec 6 For Hearing Of Suit To Compel EFCC, ICPC To Investigate REA MD, Others
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, in Lagos has fixed hearing for December 6, 2023 in a suit filed by a non-governmental organisation, Centre Against Injustice And Domestic Violence, praying the court for an order of mandamus to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission, (ICPC) to investigate the Managing, Director of Rural Electrification Agency and his cohort over alleged misappropriated funds at the Agency.
The court fixed the date after hearing lawyer to the applicant.
The Applicant had in suit number FHC/UC3/1928/23 brought pursuant to order 34 (2) (a) of the Federal High court rule, argued that the EFCC , and the ICPC (1st and 2nd Respondents) have statutory duties for examination and investigation of reported cases of economic and financial crimes and corrupt practices which must not be neglected.
The Applicant stated that the 1st and 2nd Respondents have allegedly refused and neglected to carryout their statutory role of investigating over alleged stolen of funds at the Rural Electrification Agency.
The Applicant further stated that its petition to the 1st and 2nd Respondents over alleged stolen funds by the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Commission was neglected and refused as the both the EFCC and the ICPC declined to investigate.
The grounds upon which the application was predicated is the alleged willful neglect and the refusal to act on the petition of the Applicant by the 1st and 2nd Respondents over the allegations of stolen funds by the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency and its cohorts at the Agency.
In a 12-paragraph affidavit in support of the Motion deposed to by one Ade Osinaike, a legal practitioner, he stated that, the Applicant got wind of allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the finances of Rural Electrification Commission by the Managing Director of the commission and his cohort.
The deponent stated that the allegation of corruption and fund mismanagement run into hundreds of millions of ‘our collective’ wealth and the applicant petitioned with a letter dated and 13th and 25th July to the 1st and 2nd respondents respectively for an investigation to be carried out into how finances of the Agency were mismanaged.
The deponent stated that the 1st and 2nd Respondents were furnished with bank documents showing the allegations of mismanagement going on in the Rural Electrification Agency.
He stated that the said letter was accompanied with evidence of multiple bank accounts, BVN numbers, payment of suspicious funds into different accounts of staff.
The deponent stated that despite the petitions the 1st and 2nd Respondents neglected their statutory role of investigating the managing of the Rural Electrification Agency and his cohort allegedly corruptly enriching themselves at the expense of the country.
Consequently, the Applicant is asking for the following reliefs, “An order of this court for a judicial review and an order to compel the 1st and 2nd Respondents to investigate the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency and his cohort at the Agency over allegation of stolen funds.
“And for such further order or order that the court might fit find to make in the circumstance, and that this application should be granted in the interest of justice.
