ICPC Chairman Faces Legal Challenge Over Kano Local Government Contract Investigations
September 12th, 2024
By Public Eye News
Kano, Nigeria – In a significant legal development, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), appeared before the Kano High Court on Thursday, September 12, 2024. The case, presided over by Justice Ibrahim Musa Karaye, revolves around a lawsuit filed by the Association of Local Government Chairmen (ALGON) and 43 Local Government Areas (LGAs) Caretaker Committee members.
The ALGON and LGAs are seeking to prevent the ICPC and other law enforcement agencies from investigating the contract awards they have made. The plaintiffs argue that multiple agencies simultaneously investigating these contracts is an abuse of court processes and violates their constitutional rights.
Counsel for ALGON, Barrister Shamsu Ubale Jibrin, claimed that the ICPC and the Kano State Anti-Corruption Commission had disregarded a court-issued interim order that restrained them from taking action until the matter was resolved. He alleged that the respondents violated this order on September 6, 2024, despite receiving it the day before.
Dr. Aliyu, however, countered that the Applicants’ Counsel had misled the court to obtain the interim order against the ICPC. He argued that the individual summoned by the commission, Abdullahi Aliyu Dederi, Caretaker Chairman of Karaye LGA, is not a party to the suit and is therefore not legally involved. The ICPC Chairman also cited the Supreme Court’s July 11, 2024 ruling, which questioned the legitimacy of local government caretaker roles, as support for his commission’s actions.
Urging the court to address the contempt application before considering other motions, Dr. Aliyu asserted that the ICPC had not d”fied any court orders. The trial judge agreed to this request and has referred the case file to the Kano Chief Judge for reassignment to a different judge to handle the contempt proceedings.
This legal battle highlights the ongoing tensions between law enforcement agencies and local government officials in Kano State, with significant implications for governance and legal procedures in the region.
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