The Kingdom Human Rights Foundation, KHRF, has prayed an Abuja Federal High Court to order the arrests of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Ogbonnaya Onu over bribery allegations leveled against them by two judges recently arrested by the Department of State Services, DSS.
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta and Justice Inyang Okoro , had accused Amaechi and Onu of attempting to influence the decision of courts in some election cases between 2015 and 2016.
KHRF urged the court to compel the DSS to immediately arrest and investigate the two serving ministers.
Seeking an order of mandamus, the group urged the court to, “Immediately and without further delay whatsoever, arrest, investigate and prosecute the 1st and 2nd defendants (Amaechi and Onu), based on the allegations of corruption and attempt to induce or bribe the Justices of the Supreme Court”.
The group, in an order of mandamus, is also compelling President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack both ministers in the interest of the public and morality.
Joined in the suit as defendants are: Amaechi, Onu, the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In the suit filed on Monday by its lawyer, Okere Kingdom, the group said that “the allegations made against the 1st and 2nd defendants (Amaechi and Onu) by the two Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria… are grievous enough to warrant their arrest, investigation and prosecution by the 3rd and 4th defendants (DSS and EFCC).”
KHRF also alleged that the allegations against the ministers were weighty enough “to warrant their removal from office without delay by the 5th defendant (President Buhari), who was also accused to have sent the 1st defendant (Amaechi) on the mission to ensure that the All Progressives Congress wins all their governorship election cases at all costs and by all means.”
The group, in the suit, urged the court to declare that the failure of the President to sack Amaechi and Onu “are grievous enough to conclude that President Buhari’s fight against corruption is window-dress, witch-hunt, selective, high-handed, vindictive, malicious and prosecuted with gross disregard to the rule of law,” adding that Buhari should,
“immediately and without delay and without any further delay whatsoever sack or cause the 1st and 2nd defendants to resign from offices as Minister of Transportation and Minister of Science and Technology on the ground of public interest, public morality and to enable the 3rd and 4th defendants (DSS and EFCC) speedily carry out their statutory responsibility of arresting and prosecuting the 1st and 2nd defendants.”
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