N5 BILLION PENSION FUND: NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE A FEDERAL HIGH COURT JUDGE Just barely 24 hours after indicting the Nigerian Army [NA] and the Department of State Security Services [DSS] for unlawful killings, the National Human Rights Commission [NHRC] said it would investigate a Federal High Court judge of the Abuja Division, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, over his purported controversial handling of a bail granted to a former Director of Pension Accounts in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation [OHCSF], Dr. Sani Teidi Shaibu. Executive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Bem Angwe said the Commission will study the case file in the wake of allegations of highhandedness and corruption raised against the presiding Judge by the embattled former Director. Specifically, the investigation is to establish whether the trial judge has not violated certain provisions of the code of conduct for judicial officers in Nigeria by his handling of the case and whether he is still a fit and proper person to occupy his exalted seat in the event a case of judicial misconduct is established against him. Professor Angwe announced yesterday in Kuje Prison at the flag-off of the nationwide Audit of prisons and other detention facilities exercise. Dr. Teidi who was among the inmates that spoke to the Commission gave a graphic account of his ordeal in the hands of Justice Adeniyi whom he accused of deliberate plot to keep him perpetually in jail. Dr. Shaibu is facing a criminal trial before Justice Ademola alongside a former member of staff of Oceanic bank, Mr. Udusegbe Omoefe Eric, and a few other corporate persons. In the 22-count charge slammed on them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, they were accused of obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the illicit origin of stolen pension funds. He shocked the Commission with his submissions that in what appears a clear departure from the N10million bail with one surety in like sum totaling N20million granted him by Justice Bello where he was first arraigned over the same offence, Justice Ademola had granted him in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum, totaling N1.5billion only to later increased it to N1 billion after refusing his application for a variation of the bail conditions. But what was so shocking to the Commission was that his case has been adjourned sine dine [indefinitely] by the trial Judge and that he has been in prison custody for 11 months after perfecting his bail conditions. It was on the basis of this that the Commission said it was going to investigate the case by going through the case file to verify the allegations. Nigerian pilot recalled that the National Judicial Council [NJC] is also probing the Judge over similar allegations. Another inmate that spoke to the Commission was a convict, Mr. Ofem Sankara, who called for expeditious trial of Awaiting Trial Inmates particularly those standing trial before the suspended Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory [FCT] justice Abubakar Talba. He lamented that some of the inmates have spend more than 10 years in prison custody without trial. Sankara further requested the assistance of the Executive Secretary of the NHRC to provide the prison with Industrial sewing machines so as to develop their skills and keep them busy. His requested was promptly granted by the Executive Secretary who promised to personally supply the machines. Also, Mr. Charles Okah who is holed in solitary cell number 5 lamented the absence of basic facilities like water, light and lack of good ventilation. The Executive Secretary and his team who was conducted round the prison by the Deputy Comptroller of Prison in-charge of the Kuje, Mr. Musa Tanko assured the inmates that their problems would be addressed to make their stay in the prison profitable and in conformity with the minimum international standards. He said the aim of the exercise was to address the issues of prison congestion, infrastructure decay, and lack of access to justice amongst others. Prof. Angwe further explained that section 6 [e] of the NHRC Amendment Act 2010, empowers the Commission to visit prisons and other places of detention to ascertain conditions therein and make appropriate recommendations to relevant authorities. Earlier, the Comptroller General of the Prisons in the FCT, Zakari Ibrahim disclosed that of the 754 inmates at the prison, 549 of them are Awaiting Trial for a period between 12 and 10 years
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:58:10 +0000
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