A businessman, Dafe Karl Chuks, resident in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State has filed a suit at a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba seeking an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the federal government from spending the £4.2million allegedly stolen by former Governor James Ibori.
The British Government had on Tuesday (09/03/2021) announced its resolve to return to Nigeria £4.2million being part of the funds so far recovered from friends and family members of Ibori.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms Catriona Laing, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the amount was the first tranche of such planned returns by the British Government.
Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had in response to Ms Laing said that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the returned loots be deployed for completion of the second Niger Bridge, the Lagos to Ibadan expressway and the Abuja to Kano expressway projects.
Chuks, a member of the Niger Delta Democratic Union (NDDU) is seeking a restraining order pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The suit marked FHC/ASB/CS/31/2021: DAFE KARL CHUKS V THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA & ORS and filed Monday, March 15, 2021, has President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Finance, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and National Assembly as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 defendants respectively.
Excerpt from the Motion on Notice reads, “It is therefore in the interest of justice that the prayers sought in this application be granted by this honourable court, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit already filed herein.”
A statement by Counsel to the plaintiff, Dr Akpo Mudiaga Odje, a Constitutional Lawyer of Dr Mudiaga Odje SAN & Co, reads below:
In furtherance of our individual and collective aspirations and agitations for the enthronement of Justice and Equity into our dear Nation,
We the members of the Niger Delta Democratic Union (NDDU) have watched with paralyzing suspicion, the galaxy of controversies and cocktails of cacophony trailing the returned loot of 4.2m British pounds sterling being hitherto seized funds from former Governor of Delta State, Chief Onanefe Ibori by the British Government.
We are however appalled by the Federal Government’s unilateral decision to sequestrate and/or declare sole ownership over the said 4.2million pounds sterling by suo moto deciding how same is to be put into use and which said usage is regrettably for developing areas outside Delta State, which is actually the real owner of these returned funds.
Indeed, to us and the tendencies we represent, this is an act of Financial Terrorism and Fiscal Gluttony…to say the least..the people of Delta State lucidly possess the undisputable allodial title over these funds, and as such, should be the exclusive beneficiaries of same…in that spirit of a proclivity for justice and in concord with even the scanty fiscal federal implants in the 1999 Constitution, we have through the labyrinth and groundswell of unanimity decided to challenge the centrifugal pasturing of the Federal Government on this vexed issue, as adumbrated by the Attorney General of the Federation.
Accordingly, an action has been filed at the Federal High Court, Asaba..to challenge this unprovoked onslaught and unrestrained belligerence against our Constitution and the People of Delta State… In God We Trust !..
