Fayose fails in his bid to stop EFCC probe

Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday failed in his bid to stop the anti-graft agencies from probing Ekiti State’s finances and bank accounts.

An Ado Ekiti High Court declined to grant an ex parte order sought by his administration to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating the government’s financial records.

Justice Cornelius Akintayo ordered that EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Service (DSS) be put on notice before the case can be heard.

The judge adjourned the suit till Tuesday and ordered all parties to appear before him for the hearing of the motion on notice.

The suit was filed by Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, to stop the impending investigation of the accounts of the government by the EFCC.

Another relief sought by the plaintiffs was an order stopping the arrest of the Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and the managers of the affected banks.

Eighteen defendants were named in the suit and they include the Speaker of the House of Assembly, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Department of State Service (DSS), Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and five banks doing business with state government and the managers of those banks.

The plaintiffs were represented by Barrister Ejelonu, a lawyer in the chambers of the Attorney General held brief for Ahmed Raji (SAN), who argued the motion ex parte.

A senior lawyer, Kolade Ilesanmi, who came for another matter in the same court, hailed Justice Akintayo for rejecting the motion to prevent the anti-graft agencies from investigating the government’s accounts.

Ilesanmi said: “Myself and another counsel, Abubakar Ajibade, who came for different matters stood up as friends of the court and commended the judge for the ruling.

“We also adverted the minds of the court to similar case before the Akwa Ibom High Court in which the judge granted a motion ex parte, which has now landed him trouble with the National Judicial Council (NJC).

“From the legal point of view, any matter involving federal institutions are usually heard by the Federal High Court save for the matters that border on fundamental rights enforcement in which both the Federal High Courts and state high courts are seized with jurisdiction.”