EFCC and ICPC ask the court to reject Keyamo’s request for an investigation into Atiku.

Festus Keyamo, the Minister of State for Labour, filed a lawsuit in Federal High Court, Abuja, asking for the investigation and prosecution of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked the court to dismiss the case.

Justice James Omotosho was urged to dismiss Keyamo’s case by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC).

In a lawsuit filed on January 20, the minister, who was also the spokesperson for the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), demanded that the EFCC, ICPC, and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) investigate and prosecute Abubakar in response to allegations made by one of his former aides, Michael Achimugu, that between 1999 and 2007 when he was vice president, he conspired with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to defraud the country.

Samuel Okeleke and Mrs. O. B. Odogu, attorneys for the EFCC and ICPC, raised two separate preliminary objections at the Wednesday hearing in which they questioned the suit’s legitimacy and asked the court to dismiss it.
Okeleke argued that Keyamo did not follow the law’s requirements when he filed the lawsuit, contending that he should have first requested the court’s permission before attempting to compel a government agency to take action.

The attorney argued that because the lawsuit did not follow the rules, it should not be given any consideration.

Keyamo, according to Mrs. Odogu, did not approach her organization properly. She also pointed out that the ICPC operates covertly.

“We carry out covert investigation. Keyamo gave us a deadline of 72 hours to look into and charge the first defendant.

“That’s not how we do things here. We investigate quietly and take our time, she said.

Benson Igbanoi, the legal representative for Atiku, criticized the suit’s competence in his preliminary objection defense.

Igbanoi, who accused Keyamo of abusing his position, urged the court to decline jurisdiction on the grounds that the plaintiff had not stated a cause of action.

He requested that the court ignore the plaintiff’s response to his preliminary objection, claiming that it was

O. C. Uju, Keyamo’s attorney, urged the court to overrule the defendants’ objections so that the case could be heard on its merits.

Uju questioned the legitimacy of Atiku’s objection, contending that it was submitted before the court had taken on the case’s jurisdiction and before he had been served with the originating papers.

After hearing the arguments from the parties’ attorneys, Justice Omotosho adjourned until June 5 to rule on the preliminary objections.