Malami moves to vacate order barring FG from arresting Igboho

The Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Malam Abubakar Malami (SAN), has reporedly applied to an Oyo State High Court praying to vacate the order stopping the arrest and freezing the accounts of Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a. Sunday Igboho.

The court had on August 4 granted an ex parte application by Mr Igboho, restraining the State Security Services (SSS) and the AGF from arresting, intimidating and freezing Igboho’s account.

Mr Igboho’s counsel, Yomi Aliyu, SAN, had informed the court that his client’s life was being threatened after the invasion of his house by the SSS on July 1, where properties were damaged and some occupants killed.

Malam Malami, however, through his counsel, Abdullah Abubakar, on Wednesday, informed the court at the resumed hearing, that he had filed a preliminary objection on the matter.

Mr Abubakar said that he could not move the application at the hearing because he filed the preliminary objection and other processes in the matter out of time and urged the court to grant him an extension of time.

He said that the delay in filing his processes was not deliberate but due to the fact he was not briefed on the matter at the appropriate time.

The counsel to SSS, T.A. Nurudeen, informed the court that he has responded to the processes served on him by the applicant’s counsel.

In his response, the applicant’s counsel, Mr Aliyu, said the processes filed by the AGF were incompetent, adding that the respondent has exceeded the five days stipulated by the law to respond after the received of the originating summon.

He urged the court not to grant the application, adding that time was of the essence in a fundamental human rights suit.

Justice Ladiran Akintola granted the application for extension of time and awarded N50,000 against the respondent.

Ms Akintola said that the order restraining the respondents from arresting, intimidating and freezing Mr Igboho’s account still subsists until it is vacated by the court.

He adjourned the case until August 30 for the hearing in the application.

Other respondents in the suit are the SSS, Director of State Security Services, Oyo State and the AGF.