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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Kafarati, to bar Justice Taiwo. O. Taiwo from handling cases involving it over alleged professional misconduct.
This was contained in the petition brought against Taiwo of the Abuja division of the court, who granted similar ex-parte orders against it in favour of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
The anti-graft agency further observed strangely that the same lawyer, who argued and secured in favour of Saraki, was the same lawyer, Mr. Sunday Onubi, who argued Okorocha’s ex-parte motion before Taiwo.
EFCC further observed that the two ex-parte orders by the judge against it in favour of Saraki and Okorocha are same.
For instance, after hearing Okorocha’s motion ex-parte in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/474/2019, which was argued by his counsel, Sunday Onubi, Taiwo ruled: “Upon hearing the motion ex-parte dated and filed on 30th day of April 2019, an order is hereby made directing the respondents by themselves, their servants, agents, privies or officers to stay action in connection with the subject matter of this suit pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons.”
The respondents in the above suit were the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the State Security Services (SSS), the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CBB). A similar order was given by the same Judge in favour of the Senate president, Saraki against the same respondents, in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/507/2019, which was also argued by Sunday Onubi on his behalf.
In the two separate fundamental human rights enforcement suits filed before Justice Taiwo, Okorocha had claimed that EFCC and other anti-graft agencies had been directed to arrest and keep him in detention as soon as he handed over to -overnor-elect Emeka Ihedioha on May 29, 2019.
