BREAKING! MORE TROUBLES FOR THE SGF AS LAWYER ASKS THE COURT TO ORDER HIM TO REFUND 223 MILLION TO THE FG

Barring the last minute change of mind, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja is set to hear a Fundamental Human Rights suit filed against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir Lawal, by a Human Rights Advocate,Barrister Johnmary Chukwukasi Jideobi, on behalf of the Internally Displaced Persons in the North East. In the document exclusively made available to odogwublog, the Human Rights Lawyer is praying the Court for the following Reliefs;

1.      A SOLEMN DECLARATION OF THIS Honourable Court that the impugned conducts of the 4^th Respondent herein amount (in their aggregate) to a gross violation of the fundamental rights to life and dignity of the human persons, trenchantly consecrated in Sections 33 and 34 of the 1999 amended Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, of the Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East Nigeria on whose behalf the present application is brought by the applicant.

2.      AN ORDER OF THIS Honourable Court commanding the 4^th Respondent herein to return/remit to the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty Three Million Naira No Kobo (N223, 000, 000.00), representing the sum he diverted away from the money earmarked by the Federal Government of Nigeria to alleviate the crushing hardships of Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East Nigeria under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), within Fourteen (14) days starting from and inclusive of the day of the delivery of judgment by this Honourable Court in this suit.

3.      AN ORDER OF THIS Honourable Court Mandating the 4^th Respondent to tender the receipt evidencing full compliance with order (2) as above to the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Respondents within Seven (7) days of compliance with the said Order (2) above.

                                                                                                                                

4.      AN ORDER of this Honourable Court commanding the 4^th Respondent herein to publish or cause to be published an unreserved apology to the Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East in Three (3) National Dailies within Seven (7) days starting from and inclusive of the date the Order (3) above is complied with.

5.      ANY OTHER ORDER OR ORDERS as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the entire circumstances of this case.

In the 22 paragraph Affidavit accompanying the Originating Motion, the Lawyer deposed as follows;

1.       I am the Applicant and deponent herein by virtue of which I am conversant with the facts and circumstances from which the present application emanated.

2.       I know as a fact that the activities of the proscribed Boko Haram Terrorist Group have left thousands of Nigerians dead in a most horrendous and blood-chilling manner and created many Internally Displaced persons in Nigeria and Refugees in Nigerian neighbouring countries.

3.       That given the mounting humanitarian crisis resulting from paragraph (2) above, the 3^rd Respondent herein, which is the Nigerian Senate, resolved to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate to what extent the funds channeled to the alleviation of the ugly plights of the Internally Displaced Persons, through the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) have been utilized.

4.       The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Humanitarian Crises in the North-East visited many Camps of the Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East Zone of the country where the Committee held public hearings and interfaced with both stakeholders and victims of the Boko Haram Insurgents especially the Internally Displaced Persons who are the primary beneficiaries of the Funds channeled through the Presidential Initiative on the North-East (PINE).

5.       That arising from the public hearings and fruitful interactions the Senate Committee had with stakeholders and Internally Displaced Persons in the Camps visited in the North-East, the Committee wrote an Internal Report which it laid before the Nigerian Senate and wholly adopted by the Senate on the 14^th day of December, 2016.

6.       I have had an intimate reading and fastidious study of the 8 page Internal Report of the Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate on the Humanitarian Crises in the North-East a copy of which is hereby annexed and marked as “Exhibit PINE 1”.

7.       Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that there is serious humanitarian crises in the North East as evidenced by the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons both in camp and the host communities.

8.       Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that there is extreme hunger, diseases, squalor, deprivation and  want amongst the Internally displaced persons.

9.       Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that over 70% of displaced children in the Camps and the host communities within the range of school age were out of school due to lack of classroom infrastructure, inadequate teaching materials and even teachers.

10.   Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact, that there is acute shortage of food among the Internally Displaced Persons who loiter in the IDP Camps malnourished, sickly and wretchedly dressed.

1.   Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that the Federal Government of Nigeria has voted hefty sums for the welfare of the Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East through the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

1.   Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact, that the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE) took undue advantage of the provision of emergency situation contract award in the Public’ Procurement Act, 2007 to inflate contracts.

1.   Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that contracts were awarded to companies belonging to top government officials’ cronies, family members and close associates. For example, Rholavision Engineering Limited incorporated in 1990 with RC No. 159855 at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja, to carry out information and communication technology services, anchored by Engr. Babachir Lawal, the current Secretary to the Government of the Federation, was awarded consultancy contract for the removal of the invasive plant species in Yobe state on 8th March, 2016. Although, Engr. Babachir resigned the directorship of the said company in September, 2016, it is on record that he is still the signatory to accounts of the company.

1.   Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that sum Two Hundred and Twenty Three Million Naira No Kobo (N223, 000, 000.00), representing the sum he diverted away from the money earmarked by the Federal Government of Nigeria to alleviate the crushing hardships of Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East Nigeria under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) has further deepened the Humanitarian crises in the North East rather than alleviating thereby defeating its evident intention.

1   Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that the mismanagement and the circumstances surrounding the disbursement of the said sum of Two Hundred and Twenty Three Million Naira No Kobo (N223, 000, 000.00), has occasioned an unprecedented abuse and imperiled the Fundamental Rights of the Internally Displaced Persons especially their rights to life and dignity of Human Person guaranteed by the Constitution.

1      Deriving from the internal report adopted by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the content of which I verily believe to be true and correct, it is a fact that the mismanagement and the circumstances surrounding the disbursement of the said sum of Two Hundred and Twenty Three Million Naira No Kobo (N223, 000, 000.00), has afflicted more misery, pains, excruciating agony, crushing sorrow and utter state of hopelessness on the innocent Internally Displaced Persons in the IDP camps in the North East.

1   The victims of the mind-boggling and unholy abuse of Fundamental Rights perpetrated by the 4^th Respondent herein are mostly illiterates, handicapped, the flotsam and jetsam of the society, who neither have the means nor the requisite knowledge to approach this Honourable Court for the enforcement of their Fundamental Rights mindlessly breached by the 4^th Respondent who ordinarily occupies a position that ought to protect their Human Rights.

1.   I am an Apostle of Democracy and an irredeemable Human Rights Advocate.

1  This application is brought pro bono in vindication of the strength of the law, reversal of impunity and enforcement of the sacred Fundamental Rights of the Internally Displaced Persons which are ordinarily sacrosanct and inviolable.

2  I know as a Human Rights Advocate that the Rules governing the Enforcement of Human Rights in Nigeria encourage and approve of proxy Human Rights Enforcement actions by Human Rights Advocates in circumstances similar to the ones that eventuated in the present application.

2   That it is in the interest of justice that the prayers of this originating summons are granted.