Court restrains AGF, ICPC from seizing ex-Zamfara gov, Yari’s properties

A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and
the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from seizing or
interfering with the assets and properties belonging to the
immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a ruling on Monday, in a ex-parte motion
for interim injunctions, argued on Friday by Yari’s lawyer, Mahmud
Magaji (SAN), also restrained the ICPC and AGF from interfering
with Yari’s enjoyment of the rights enshrined in sections 34, 35,
37, 41 and 43 of the Constitution.

Justice Taiwo equally directed parties in the case to maintain
status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive
suit.

The judge said the orders made, are to subsist pending the
determination of the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by
the ex-governor.

Justice Taiwo, who on Friday granted the ICPC’s request to
freeze Yari’s accounts in Polaris and Zenith banks, said the orders
made on Monday do not affect the earlier one relating to only
accounts in the two banks.

The orders granted in the judge’s ruling on Monday are:

*An order of interim injunction retraining the respondents from
seizing, impounding, taking over, confiscating or otherwise
forfeiting the assets and properties of the applicant wherever they
may be located within Nigeria or anywhere else in the world pending
the hearing and determination of the hearing and determination of
the notion on notice

*An order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from
unlawfully interfering with the applicants‘ rights to Sections 34,
35, 37, 41 and 43 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria (as amended) until the hearing and determination of the
substantive suit.

*An order of this honourable court directing the parties to
maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the
substantive suit.

The ex-governor, in seeking the orders granted on Monday, stated
that he has been subjected to various forms of intimidation, arrest
and detention based on spurious allegations by some powerful
elements of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against him to the
agents of the 1st and 2nd respondents (AGF and ICPC).

“These individuals thus decided to carry out a vendetta and
revenge against the applicant including instigating the respondents
against the applicant upon their spurious conclusion without
evidence that the applicant was guilty of corrupt practices as
former governor of Zamfara State and was in breach of the Code of
Conduct Act.

“This witch-hunt, is clearly politically motivated, baseless,
and has been designed only to discredit and humiliate the applicant
in a bid to decimate him politically and this court is statutory
empowered to protect any violation against the applicant’s
fundamental rights.

“The 1st and 2nd respondents are determined on a follow up
attack upon the applicant and his family by the use of allegations
of wrongdoing which had been concocted against the applicant in
2019 immediately the Supreme Court decided all elected officials of
the All Progressives Congress (APC) should step aside for the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as an excuse to arrest the applicant
and his wife and to arraign them on trumped up charges.

“The agents of the 2nd respondent invaded the applicant’s
private residence and nothing incriminating was ever found against
The Applicant despite the several investigations carried out by the
respondents.

“The applicant is the immediate past Executive Governor of
Zamfara State and before then he was elected into the House of
Representatives.

“The applicant states that he has been having series of
harassment and intimidation by the agents of the respondent some
arisen from the lost of the All Progressives Congress in Zamfara
State to the Peoples Democratic Party.

“The said lost arose from the decision of the Supreme Court
wherein the court directed that all the elected officers in Zamfara
State should vacate office for the 2nd runner up of the 2019
General Election.”