Court stops Otti’s panel on recovery of govt funds in Abia

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted an interim injunction against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Abia State Government, and the panel of inquiry on recovery of government properties and funds set up in June by the state governor, Alex Otti.

The court granted the injunction on Monday after an application for an ex-parte motion was brought before it by C.C. Enuka, the counsel for Gabriel Onyendilefu, and three other applicants.

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The court gave an “Order of interim injunction restraining the Respondents…from inviting, summoning, interrogating, harassing, intimidating, arresting, detaining, seizing, any property belonging to the Applicants or otherwise dealing adversely in any manner with the Applicants, their children, any member of their families or any other person connected to the Applicants insofar as it relates to the Applicant’s tenure as public officers in the Abia State Government between 2015 – 2023, pending determination of the substantive Originating Motion on Notice.”

It also “granted for departure from Order 43 Rule 3 (2) of the High Court of Federal Capital Territory (civil procedure) Rule 2018 directing that the interim orders granted herein shall not lapse until the hearing and determination of the Applicant’s substantive originating motion on notice.”

The matter was, therefore, adjourned to August 15, 2023, for hearing of substantive suit.

It would be recalled that Governor Otti, on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, inaugurated the panel of inquiry on the recovery of government properties and funds headed by Justice Florence Ikwuoma Duruoha-Igwe (rtd).

The Star