Nigeria Content Online

For the second
time, a Lagos High Court on Wednesday has foiled the attempt of the
Lagos Assembly to investigate allegations of financial impropriety
levelled against the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration

Justice Opeyemi Oke
ordered an injunction, on Tuesday, restraining the ongoing
investigation by a 7-man committee set up by the legislative house.

Consequently, the
injunction, which was served on the House on Wednesday morning stalled
the interrogation of the state’s attorney general, Supo Sasore, who was
invited by the House to answer questions on his directive that
ministries, departments, and agencies of the government should not
appear before the probe committee.

A special plenary
session was scheduled for the interrogation because Mr. Sasore could
not appear before the House on Tuesday due to a court engagement.

However, the
injunction means that any matter relating to the investigation remains
suspended until the determination of a pending suit at the Appeal court
on the matter.

“An interim
injunction restraining the defendant whether by itself, agents,
members, officers, privies, committees, or by whomsoever howsoever from
proceeding with or acting on the purported investigation of allegation
of financial impropriety levelled against the executive arm of Lagos
state government by a group which calls itself ‘The True Face of
Lagos,'” said Justice Oke after listening to the argument of Bamidele
Aturu, the counsel to Richard Akionla, a human right activist who filed
the ex-parte application.

After the
injunction was read, Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, asked the
attorney general to leave the chamber on the ground that the House “has
so many things to do and therefore will not be able to interrogate him.”

Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu constituency), made an attempt to get the lawmakers to debate the injunction.

“Sincerely, I am confused and I need the help of the House,” he said.

However, he was cut short by the Speaker who subsequently forbade any further debate on the matter.

Partial judiciary

Debo Adeniran, the
president of the Campaign Against Corrupt Leaders, believes the
judiciary is not neutral as far as the probe issue is concerned and
says that “it is an indictment on the executive government that it
needs a judicial bailout instead of seeking to absolve its name of any
allegation.”

Mr. Adeniran also condemned the fact that “somebody who calls himself a human right activist is the one initiating the case.”