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Tag: summons

  • Lagos Assembly summons Ambode over budget

    The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday urged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to appear before it within one week on the controversy concerning this year’s budget.

    The year’s Appropriation Bill has not been presented to the lawmakers, causing hot disagreement between the Executive and the Legislature.

    Last month, the governor sent the budget to the Assembly against the tradition of laying it before the Assembly.

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa told his colleagues at yesterday’s plenary that it was important to give the governor a fair hearing on the budget.

    The Speaker recalled that there had been violations of the Constitution and alleged infractions by the governor.

    He said: “The Attorney General, the Finance Commissioner and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, who ought to have advised the governor did not do so.

    “The most important thing is that we should let the people know that a budget that was yet to be approved was being spent. This was why we could not attend to the governor on the budget on January 21.

    “We must give them a fair hearing to come and explain what happened. The point has been made that there must be something before the Assembly before you can commence expenditure. We want to call on the governor to come within a week to explain himself along with the other officials.

    “We can start gathering signatures for impeachment. We can exercise patience and wait till another time.”

    The lawmakers were reacting to a report presented by Deputy Speaker Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni as the Chairman of the committee set up to examine issues surrounding the 2019 budget at a parliamentary meeting of the lawmakers.

    Members of the Committee included the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts (State), Moshood Oshun; the Chairman of the House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning, Gbolahan Yishawu; the Chairman of the House Committee on the Environment, Dayo Saka-Fafunmi and the Chairman of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure, Abiodun Tobun.

    Eshinlokun said the committee met with relevant commissioners and heads of agencies, including the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Segun Banjo, who said no money had been spent in this year’s budget.

    The lawmaker said the Accountant General told the committee that a warrant had been issued that they could spend up to 25 per cent of the preceding year’s budget before the approval of the new year’s appropriation.

    He said they would liaise with the Assembly if they wanted to spend up to N200 million.

    Eshinlokun said: “We pointed out that the governor ought to lay the budget of the New Year before December 31, but that so far the budget was yet to be laid.

    “We asked them to bring out the law that allows them to spend up to 25 per cent of the budget of the preceding year. They could not bring out such a law and we said what they did was wrong.

    “We discovered that people had started receiving alerts and this has a grave implication for the Executive.

    “It is our finding that for smooth running of the government, there must be a strict adherent to the constitution, and it must not be violated.

    “We decided to bring the report before the lawmakers for us to take action.”

    Yishawu said the Committee on Budget discovered during the budget review that there was specific expenditure that should have been approved by the Assembly on which funds were expended.

    The lawmaker averred that these were misnomers, and that the Assembly noticed variation in the expenditure and budget approved.

    “We had issues of virement and funds being spent without approval. We had cases of items that were not budgeted for being carried out. It shows the executive rewrite the budget at will.

    “The Constitution states that the House of Assembly must approve all expenditures,” he added.

    Most of the lawmakers expressed surprise and worry about the development.

    They stressed that the governor and members of the State Executive Council (Exco) were committing glaring constitutional breaches which might lead to serious consequences.

    According to them, things are shutting down in the state through the action of the Executive.

    Read also: NBA orders court boycott

    Other lawmakers who contributed to the issue included Tunde Braimoh, Rotimi Olowo, Moshood Oshun, Richard Kasunmu, Rasheed Makinde, Yinka Ogundimu, Sola Giwa and Victor Akande.

    Others are: Fatai Mojeed, Jude Idimogu, Noheem Raheem, Fatai Oluwa, Oladele Adekanye, Sabur Olayiwola, Akeem Shokunle and Mosunmola Sangodara.

    Funmilayo Tejuosho, Setonji David, Dayo Saka-Fafunmi, Mojisola Miranda, Dayo Famakinwa, Saka Solaja, Lanre Ogunyemi and Folajinmi Mohammed expressed dismay at the development.

    Omotayo Oduntan (Deputy Whip) “Today is a sad day. The executive just moved money from one ministry to another without recourse to the Assembly. When all these happen, it shows a total disregard to the budget being passed by the House. We should get across to the Governor to explain himself or else we should begin an impeachment process.

    But Majority Leader Sanai Agunbiade said: “There are three arms of government of which the Executive is one. Our government is still running and not shut down. What we want to do is to ensure that the infraction from one arm of government does not affect another.

    “It is clear that the budget has not been presented before the Assembly. My colleagues have addressed all the issues. We should let the public know that we do not have the budget before the Assembly.”

    The lawmakers made three suggestions.

    The first is that the commissioners, who were approved by the Assembly and are working with the governor would have a vote of no confidence passed on them because they have allegedly failed in their responsibilities.

    The next is for the governor to resign or the Assembly should begin an impeachment process against him.

    “We can communicate to him to reign or failure to do that is for us to start collecting signatures of lawmakers so that we can be seeing to have done our job,” Agunbiade said.

    Chief Whip Rotimi Abiru said: “I want to adopt what has been done without wasting much time. There have been some infractions on the part of the governor and the position of the law is clear.”

    Deputy Majority Leader Wahab Jimoh said: “I saw this coming like an ocean surge. The Attorney General wrote the House to withdraw the private member bills before the House. I had been noticing that there would be a crisis. The report I saw with the Deputy Speaker shows that the 2019 budget is being implemented.

  • Offa robbery: Court summons IGP over Saraki’s absence

    A court in Abuja has summoned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to attend court on September 17, to among others, explain the absence of Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday.

    Justice Abdullahi Garuba Ogbede of the Grade 1 Area Court, Aco Estate, Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja ordered the issuance of summons to IGP Idris yesterday, following Saraki’s absence when the case in which he (Saraki) is listed as defendant, was called.

    The Senate president is listed as the sole defendant in a criminal complaint made against him by an Abuja lawyer and rights activist, Oluwatosin Ojaomo, in relation to the ongoing investigation by the police into the April 5 bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State.

    In the complaint marked: CR/196/2018, filed under Section 89(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, Ojaomo argued that Saraki’s alleged refusal to honour an invitation allegedly sent to him by the police, in relation to the Offa robbery investigation, amounted to “obstructing a criminal investigation and disobeying a public officer carrying out a lawful responsibility.”

    At the last hearing on August 3, Justice Ogbede ordered that processes in the case be served on Saraki and adjourned till September 10 for report of service and hearing.

    At the resumption of proceedings yesterday, complainant’s lawyer E. S. Marcus noted that the defendant was absent.

    He said neither the IGP nor his lawyer was in court to explain the defendant’s absence.

    Marcus told the court that when the complainant could not effect service of the processes on Saraki as ordered by the court, it applied, under Section 122 of the ACJA, to the IGP to help effect service on the defendant.

    He said the IGP was required, under the law, to either produce the defendant in court or attend court to explain why the defendant was absent.

    Marcus later applied that the IGP be summoned to enable him explain to the court what efforts he made to ensure that the defendant attended court, an application the court granted by ordering the issuance of a witness summons on the IGP.

    The witness summons dated September 10, reads: “You are hereby summoned to appear before the Grade 1 Area Court, Aco Estate, Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on the 17th day of September 2018 at 9am to testify about what you know concerning the matter of the said complaint and not to depart thence without permission; and you are hereby warned that if you shall, without just excuse, fail to appear on the said date, a warrant will be issued to compel your attendance.”

    The criminal complaint by Ojaomo reads: “Criminal complaint brought pursuant to Section 89(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. Please, cause a summons for a direct criminal complaint on the defendant on the following terms:

  • Senate summons Emefiele, others over bank charges

    The Senate yesterday mandated its Committee on Banking to investigate alleged excess and arbitrary bank charges and illegal deductions by commercial banks.

    The Upper Chamber also resolved to summon the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, managing directors of commercial banks, forensic auditors and the Bankers Committee, with a view to harmonising and amending relevant banking laws, rules and guidelines that do not adequately protect the customers and remedy when overcharged.

    The Committee was specifically asked to conduct investigative hearing and thoroughly probe the CBN and commercial banks’ operational charges, with a view to finding an enduring solution to anomaly.

    The resolutions followed the consideration of a motion, entitled  “Urgent need to investigate, regularise and amend conflicting, vague and unjust remedies which the Central Bank of Nigeria offers to victims of excess and arbitrary bank charges and illegal deductions by commercial banks.”

    The motion sponsored by Senator Magnus Ngei Abe (Rivers South East) had 22 others as co-sponsors.

    Abe, in his lead debate, said that over the years, commercial banks in the country have indulged in sharp practices of over charging customers/depositors arbitrarily and excessively contrary to tariff stipulations, credit and monetary guidelines issued from time to time by the CBN.

    He said: “If this trend is allowed to continue unabated, Nigerians will be worse of for it, while the commercial banks will continue to declare huge profits at the expense of innocent Nigerians from regular depositors to business firms.”

    The lawmaker said that he is aware that the CBN on the 20th February reported that it had recovered about N2.6bn from banks as excess charges imposed on their customers in 2015 through a statement issued  by the Director, Corporate Communications Department Muazu Ibrahim.

    Abe said that in 2015 alone, the apex bank investigated about 6000 of such cases.

    He expressed concern that several of the Central Bank of Nigeria applicable rules that should remedy such hardship and discourage sharp practices by the commercial banks are conflicting, vague and unjust. There by causing the commercial banks to frequently short change their customers;

    He added that requests made by Bank Customers to the Central Bank of Nigeria for clarification of the rules are largely ignored.

    The lawmaker expressed worry that “if this trend is allowed to continue unabated, Nigerians will be worse of for it, while the commercial banks will continue to declare huge profits at the expense of innocent Nigerians from regular depositors to business firms.”

  • NECA decries incessant summons by lawmakers

    NECA decries incessant summons by lawmakers

    The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) is displeased with the summons of chief executives of businesses by the National Assembly.

    Specifically, it criticised a recent letter and advertorial by the House of Representatives, which requested information on product contents from some of its member-companies, and  invited the companies’ heads to appear before the Investigative Committee headed by the House Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila.

    NECA Director-General Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo noted: “While we have no issues against companies providing basic information to the legislators to help them in their investigative activities, we do not agree with the frequent summons by the various committees to appear before them. This is a fundamental matter in an on-going court case SC/734/2017 against the Speaker and the House, which is presently at the Supreme court.

    “The House is very well aware of this position.

    ‘’Respondents in the case include Speaker of the House of Representatives (and by extension all the Committees and Ad-Hoc Committees within the House of Representatives) and the Clerk of the National Assembly, among others. In effect, they are all restrained by the sub-judice status of this case.”

    Oshinowo further lamented the increased perception of Nigeria as an unfriendly place to do business due to the extra-regulatory and over-reaching activities of lawmakers.

    He advised that the legislative arm of the government should cooperate with the executive to realise the latter’s objective on the Ease of Doing Business initiative, under the auspices of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

    He said NECA believed in dialogue, adding that it was the best way to move forward.

  • Senate again summons C-G Ali for grilling today

    Senate again summons C-G Ali for grilling today

    THE Senate has compelled the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Comptroller-General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), to appear before the upper legislative body today.

    This came after the Customs boss stated in a letter he wrote to Senate President Bukola Saraki that the controversial policy on car import tariff has been put on hold.

    After reading the Customs’ boss letter at plenary yesterday, senators took turns to berate Ali for failing to honour the invitation, describing the action as unacceptable.

    Ali had cited “recent bereavement” for his inability to honour the invitation extended to him by the legislative body.

    Speaking at plenary yesterday, Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara) described Ali’s action as an affront and a slight on the Senate.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said it was not the duty of vehicle end-users to pay customs duties on the vehicles they purchase.

    According to him, policies must not be framed in such manners to oppress Nigerians and the Senate would like to ensure that such policies make sense.

    Some of the senators insisted that the Customs boss must wear uniform or resign from the service.

    They cited instances where ex-military chiefs proudly wore uniforms of paramilitary organisations, when they were appointed to head same.

    Many of the lawmakers also spoke in similar vein, with Saraki reminding the Customs boss that nobody was above the law.

    Senator Thompson Sekibo (Rivers) argued that Ali’s action warranted the invocation of Section 89 of the Nigerian Constitution, which empowered the Senate to issue warrants to compel officials to appear before it.

    Consequently, the Senate invoked Section 89 of the Constitution against Ali, insisting that the Customs chief must appear before it at 10 am.

    However, the lawmakers did not insist that Ali must appear in uniform.

  • ‘Forgery’: Fed Govt to serve summons on Saraki, Ekweremadu through Clerk, others

    ‘Forgery’: Fed Govt to serve summons on Saraki, Ekweremadu through Clerk, others

    Court summons are on the way for Senate President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy Ike Ekweremadu through the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly,  Mohammed Sani-Omolori.

    The Federal Government has filed charges in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules 2015.

    Others who will face trial are a former National Assembly Clerk, Abubakar Maikasuwa and Deputy Clerk, Benedict Efeturi, who is due to retire soon.

    The charges were allegedly based on the outcome of police investigation into the alleged forgery.

    But Saraki and Ekweremadu yesterday claimed that they were never invited for questioning by the Police.

    They expressed concern that they were only invited for questioning on June 7, barely three days to the filing of the two charges on June 10.

    There was anxiety in Saraki’s and Ekweremadu’s camps last night on the court action against them.

    They alleged that there were plans to arrest and detain them in prison.

    It was learnt that it had been difficult for the court to serve Saraki and Ekweremadu the notice of hearing of their cads and the charge sheet.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We have not been able to get access to these leaders of the Senate to serve them both the summons and the charge sheet.

    “But from the look of things, we may invoke relevant sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015) which empowers us to notify Saraki and Ekweremadu through the Clerk to the National Assembly or by pasting the summons on the conspicuous part of their premises or offices.

    “We will invoke sections 124 and 125(1) (2) of the ACJ Act. Hopefully byMonday, we should have completed the process of serving the summons on them.”

    Section 124 of ACJ Act (2015) reads: “Where service in the manner provided by Section 123(a) of this cannot, by the exercise of due diligence, be effected, the serving officer may, with leave of the court, affix nor of the duplicates of the summons to some conspicuous part of the premises or place in which the individual to be served ordinarily resides or works and on doing so, the summons shall be deemed to have been duly served.”

    Section 125 (1)(2) says: “When a public officer is to be served with a summons, the court issuing the summons may send it in duplicate to the officer in charge of the department in which the person is employed for the purpose of being served on the person, if it appears to the court that it may be most conveniently so served.

    “ The officer in charge if the department shall, on receiving summons, cause it to be served in the manner provided by Section 123(a) of this Act and shall return the duplicate to the court under his signature, with the endorsement required by Section 115 of this Act, which signature shall be evidence of the service.”

    But Saraki and Ekweremadu yesterday said they were yet to be either interrogated or served the court summons.

    A top aide of Saraki said: “As I speak with you, the President of the Senate has not been questioned by the police or served any court summons. Is it ever heard of that an accused person will be charged to court without any form of interrogation?

    “We are suspecting a predetermined agenda because Saraki was invited for interrogation on June 7 and the charges were filed on June 10. Saraki was not a principal officer in the 7th National Assembly; he has nothing to do with the Senate Standing Rules 2015.

    “It is also curious that the police are just planning to interact with Saraki and Ekweremadu after charges have been filed. Yet, this is a case which the police force has been investigating in the last one year. It is just unfortunate that our legal system is being abused.”

  • Senate summons Fashola over falling bridges

    Senate summons Fashola over falling bridges

    THE Senate yesterday invited the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, over recurring cases of collapse of bridges in parts of the country.

    The upper chamber wanted Fashola to brief its Committee on Works on viable plan of action for the reconstruction of all Bailey bridges.

    This followed the adoption of a motion on “Recurring collapse of Bailey bridges nationwide” sponsored by Senator Gilbert Nnaji (Enugu East).

    After the adoption of the motion, the Senate mandated its Committee on Works to undertake an inventory of all Bailey bridges with particular attention to their years of construction and current status.

    It called on the Federal Roads Maintenance Authority (FERMA) to urgently re-construct the collapsed Bailey bridges across Ebenyi River at Ikem in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State as well as other collapsed Bailey bridges in the country.

    Nnaji, in his lead debate, noted that Bailey bridges, developed and used during the Second World War, were built in Nigeria during the pre-independent era up to few years after the Nigerian civil war, to provide temporary crossing for foot and vehicle.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said local government should fix the bridges they could repair.

    Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki travelled to Ikenne, Ogun State for the burial of  the late Mrs. H.I.D. Awolowo.

  • Panel summons 30 arms dealers as manhunt begins

    Panel summons 30 arms dealers as manhunt begins

    I’m ready to face trial, says Dasuki

    Security agents have launched a manhunt for former military and security chiefs suspected to have duped the country of billions in phoney arms deals.

    Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki has been named in the deals. He said yesterday that he was ready to defend his action in court after President Muhammadu Buhari ordered his arrest.

    Also to be arrested are former Chiefs of Defence Staff and five service chiefs indicted by a panel which examined arms purchases from 2007 to 2015.

    The panel has summoned 30 arms contractors, The Nation learnt last night.

    All the suspects may have their movement restricted to the country, pending  further interrogation and arraignment in court.

    Col. Dasuki has got a court’s nod to travel abroad for medical treatment, but the Federal Government has refused to let him go.

    According to a source, the  former NSA is a “security risk” and the nation cannot afford  to let him “slip away”.

    All the suspects implicated in the arms deals have been  placed under surveillance.

    But none was yet to be arrested as at the time of filing this report.

    A top source said: “Those accused of mismanaging N644billion include some former Chiefs of Defence Staff, about five service chiefs and some security chiefs.

    “They have all been placed under surveillance and some of them may be arrested any moment from now pending their arraignment in court.

    “Their names have not been released to avoid any acts that may jeopardise attempts to bring them to justice.

    “Immediately they are arrested, we will release their list to the public.”

    There were indications last night that the Presidency may have foreclosed Col. Dasuki’s overseas trip.

    A source said: “With the revelations from the panel probing arms deals, Dasuki is a security threat. No sane government will allow him to travel abroad.

    “So, the ex-NSA cannot step out of Nigeria, until he is brought to trial on these allegations. But no one is molesting him at all; he is still under house arrest.”

    Asked why Dasuki was still under house arrest, the source said he would have been picked up but we don’t want to treat his case as an isolated one.

    “Do not forget that he has a subsisting case in court. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will present these new facts against Dasuki to the court and the security implications of allowing him to travel abroad,” the source said, pleading not to be named because of what he described as the sensitivity of the matter.

    Before the President raised the panel, there had been some petitions before the Office of the National Security Adviser(NSA), the Department of State Services(DSS) and Defence Intelligence Agency(DIA) among others on shady deals in procurement process in the Armed Forces.

    A source said: “We are having this challenge because military purchases are exempted by law from undergoing procurement process.

    “I think the problem at hand may assist the nation to learn from the models of other countries.”

  • Military panel summons commanders

    Military panel summons commanders

    The five-man panel of inquiry set up by the Army to investigate the roles of its officers and men during the 2014 elections in Ekiti and Osun states as well as the 2015 general elections in some areas is yet to receive any petition from the public or Civil Society Organisations (CSO).

    The panel, which has the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Headquarters, 1 Division, Kaduna, Maj-Gen Adeniyi Oyebade as its President, confirmed this at a briefing on the update of its sitting which began on Monday.

    Gen Oyebade, however said, commanders and officers deployed in the affected states had been  giving their testimonies.

    The President of the panel said there was nothing secret in the task given to them by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lit-Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, adding that the interrogation of the officers will be carried out in-house behind closed doors while testimonies from the public may be open for media coverage.

    “As we speak we are yet to receive any petition or memorandum from the public or civil society organisation. All petitions from the public will be treated with utmost dignity and respect and they have no reason to fear.”

    General Oyebade reiterated that the panel has up till November 20 for receipt of any petition or memorandum and till November 26 to submit its report and recommendations to the COAS for further action.

    The panel has Col. Danladi Salihu as the secretary; Brig-Gen Emmanuel Kabuk, Brig-Gen Sunday Araoye and Brig-Gen Baba Ibrahim are members.

    The panel President said: “On this note, I would like to call on all the strata in the society and of course, the public to please as a matter of urgency appear in person if they so wish and forward their petitions in form of memorandum either personally to Headquarters 1 Division, Kawo, Kaduna or via courier addressed to the Secretary, Panel of Investigation on Elections, HQ 1 Division, Kawo, Kaduna.”

  • Kwara House summons police chief

    The Kwara State House of Assembly yesterday summoned Police Commissioner Esosa Amadasu to appear before its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Public Petitions and Judiciary.

    The commissioner’s invitation followed alleged harassment and extortion of road users on the Adeta, Adewole Roundabout in Ilorin, the state capital, by policemen.

    The summons followed a matter of public importance raised by the member representing Ilorin North West, Alhaji AbdulRafiu AbdulRahman, on the activities of some policemen.

    Also to appear before the committee are the Area Commander and Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Adewole.

    Deputy Speaker Matthew Okedare, who presided over the sitting, said Amadasu’s appearance with other top police officers would curb the excesses of some bad eggs in the force.