Wanted
former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemulopo, alias
Tompolo, has commenced legal action against the Federal Government of
Nigeria, challenging the N45.9bn fraud charges filed against him.
Tompolo, who approached the Federal High
Court in Lagos through his lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, is seeking
an order restraining the Federal Government and its agencies from
further proceeding with the N45.9bn fraud charges filed against him.
The defendants in the suit are the
Federal Government of Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff,
the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff.
Tompolo, through Adegboruwa, is
contending that sections 221 and 306 of the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act, 2015, which prohibits him from seeking a stay of
proceedings in his trial, are infringing on his constitutional rights to
fair hearing.
He is urging the court to nullify
sections 221 and 306 of the ACJA and restrain the Federal Government,
the EFCC and the IGP from deploying those sections of the law against
him.
Adegboruwa argued that sections 221 and
306 are in conflict with Section 36 of the Constitution which guarantees
his client’s right to fair hearing.
The suit followed an appeal filed by
Tompolo against the dismissal of his application seeking to set aside
the arrest warrant issued against him by Justice Ibrahim Buba on
February 8, 2016.
Tompolo is urging the Court of Appeal to
not only vacate the arrest warrant issued against him but also
disqualify Justice Buba from presiding over his case.
Credit: Punch
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