Court Returns Case File of Yari’s Suit to CJ – TheNigerialawyer

Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on
Thursday returned the case file of former Zamfara State Governor,
AbdulAziz Yari, challenging the seizure of his assets by the
federal government to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for
reassignment.

Maha returned the case file following indications that her court
would not be able to complete the hearing in the suit by September
13 when the court’s annual vacation comes to an end.

Yari had approached the court for an order restraining the
federal government and any of its agents from confiscating any of
his assets.

Last month, Justice Taiwo Taiwo granted an order freezing six
accounts linked to the former governor in two major banks pending
the conclusion of allegations of fraud and money laundering against
him.

Though Justice Taiwo, in another ruling, ordered the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to
unseal a property of Yari earlier sealed off by the commission
because the action was not backed by law, Yari however moved to
challenge the action of the federal government.

In a motion exparte marked FHC/ABJ/CS/948/2019, the former
governor prayed the court to restrain the government from freezing
his bank accounts or seizing any of his properties pending the
hearing and determination of his suit challenging the action of the
government.

Respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of the
Federation (AGF) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).

At the resumed proceedings in the matter which borders on
fundamental human rights, the lawyer to the EFCC, Hussaina Gambo,
informed the court that she was just served the reply of the
applicant and as such will need time to look at it and respond on
point of law if the need arises.

She prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable her do
so.

Although, the counsel to the former governor, Mahmud Magaji
(SAN), opposed the adjournment on the grounds that the suit
required accelerated hearing being a fundamental human rights suit,
the judge held that the proceedings cannot continue in view of the
application of the EFCC.

In a short ruling, Justice Maha noted that her sitting as a
vacation judge would expire on September 13 and would not be able
to hear and determine the matter before the end of the
vacation.

She therefore ordered that the case file be returned to the
Chief Judge for reassignment to another judge.

She however ordered all parties in the suit to continue to
respect the rule of law pending the conclusion of the matter,
adding that her earlier order to all parties to maintain status quo
subsists.

She subsequently adjourned the matter till September 30 for
hearing.

Yari, in the suit supported by a 17-paragraph affidavit,
specifically accused the respondents of persecuting him and members
of his family over the turnout of political events in Zamfara
State.

The former governor submitted that the action of the EFCC has
made it impossible for him to exercise his right or his freedom of
movement without fear of being arrested and intimidated by the
commission.

E-Registration: NIS Registers 2,100
Migrants

The Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad
Babandede MFR wishes to inform the general public particularly
migrant community in Nigeria that the on-going migrant
e-registration exercise embarked upon by the Service will be a
continuous process, as it is part of the Service’s statutory
responsibilities prescribed by the Immigration Regulation 2017.

The Service embarked on this exercise as part of its day to day
scheduled duties in line with Section 22 (1 & 2) of the
Immigration Regulation 2017 which empowers the Service to maintain
a register of all “Immigrants” and also empowers the Comptroller
General to keep in the registry, information and particulars of an
Immigrant as he may time to time direct. This clarification becomes
necessary against the misconception between the amnesty period
declared by the President and the duration of the Exercise.

Thus far, the Exercise is yielding results as over 2,100
migrants have been registered at the NIS Headquarters alone, while
registration centres at Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara,
Cross River, and others are steadily following in a bid to achieve
a nation-wide registration Exercise.

The CGI hereby calls on all migrants staying beyond 90 days in
Nigeria, whether regular or otherwise (including those without
proper documents) to take advantage of the 6-months amnesty period
given by the President which lasts between 12th July,2019 to 11th
January,2020 and register at the nearest Migrant e-Registration
centres in their places of residence.

Signed
DCI Sunday James pcc
Service Public Relations Officer
For: Comptroller General of Immigration