ABUJA——Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting in Abuja yesterday ordered Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Emmanuel Adebayo to appear before it this morning for allegedly flouting its order.
The tribunal, yesterday, also stayed action on the prosecution of suspended Governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye in obeisance to the order of a Federal high court, Abuja to the effect that status quo ante should be maintained in the matter till October 13, this year.
The tribunal which summoned Mr Adebayo, had last month, directed the commissioner of police to produce before it, three persons, including former Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Gabriel Osuide, former Senior Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on HIV\AIDS, Prof Ibironke Akinsete and an attachéé to the incumbent Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Garba Abdullahi.
The directive to the police commissioner was contained in a bench-warrant issued against the trio by the tribunal, at its last adjourned date.
The bench-warrant itself was issued by the tribunal following refusal of the three accused persons to appear before it, as ordered.
The trio were declared wanted for failing to declare their assets while serving in their respective public offices.
Two others were also issued bench-warrant by the tribunal same day including former Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development, Dr Stella Odogu and former Chairman of NICON Plc, Chief Samuel Nwokedi.
But Odogu’’s and Nwokedi’’s names were missing on the cause list yesterday.
All of them were accused of running foul of section 172 of the 1999 constitution which provides: ““a person in the public service of the Federation shall observe and conform to the code of conduct,””
Specifically, the Federal Government counsel in the matter, Mr Thompson Olatigbe had told the tribunal that all the accused persons refused to declare their assets contrary to the provisions of section 11 (1) of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers Act.
The said section provides: ““every public officer shall within 3 months after taking office and thereafter
(a) at the end of every four years and
(b) at the end of his term of office submit to the code of conduct bureau, a written declaration of all his properties, assets and liabilities and those of his spouse or unmarried children under the age of 21.
Their actions were said to be punishable under section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap 56, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.
All of them were expected to be produced by the police yesterday to defend themselves in respect of the charges preferred against them but none of them was available for trial.
Mr Olatigbe told the tribunal that the information he got from the tribunal’’s bailiffs was that none of them could be traced.
But the tribunal was not satisfied with the explanation, particularly as it affected the attachéé of the Speaker of the House of representatives.
It had dismissed, as untenable, the explanation, saying after all, the attachéé particularly drew his salary from his account every month and always reported to a boss in a public office.
Justice Sambo who wanted to know whether any effort was made at all serving the accused persons court summons in respect of the criminal charges hanging on their necks yesterday subsequently ordered the police commissioner to whom all bench-warrant issued were addressed to,to appear before him. Besides, the court room was practically vacant yesterday as it was during its last adjourned date as all accused persons billed to answer to their charges stayed off the proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Code of Conduct Tribunal headed by Justice Muhammad Sambo yesterday temporarily stopped prosecution of suspended Governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye following an order by a Federal high court, Abuja that status quo ante be maintained in the case pending determination of a substantive suit before it. But the tribunal had gone tough at the commencement of hearing in the case on the grounds that it was not bound by the decision of the Federal high court since it had co-ordinate jurisdiction. A member of the tribunal who said that since the order of the federal high court was not served on them, he had reasoned that trial could go on in the case.
