A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday granted a motion filed by former Senate President Bukola Saraki seeking to amend two separate suits he filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others.
Justice Inyang Ekwo granted the application after it was moved by Saraki’s counsel, Tunde Afe-Babalola (SAN), and was not opposed by the defence lawyers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Ekwo had, on January 25, struck out the two suits filed by Saraki against the anti-graft agency and others for lack of diligent prosecution.
The ex-Senate president had filed the suits at the FHC on May 10, 2019.
In the suits, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and he Department of State Services (DSS) are listed as the first to third defendants.
Others are: the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), listed as the fourth to sixth respondents.
But after the suits were struck out on January 25, Saraki, through his lawyer, approached the court for a relisting of the cases to the cause list of the court.
The former Senate president had filed a motion on notice, dated February 1 and filed on February 3 pursuant to Order 19, Rule 1 and 3, Order 26, Rule 3 of FHC Civil Procedure Rules, 2019, to urge the court for the relisting of the suits.
The judge granted his prayers.
But upon resumed hearing on the cases yesterday, Afe-Babalola informed the court that a motion to amend their originating motion was filed on July 29 and that all the respondents were served on July 31.
Lawyer to the DSS, Abdulsalam Abdullahi; EFCC’s lawyer, G. I. Ndeh, including ICPC’S lawyer, Glory Iroegbu, and CCB’s counsel, I.T. Mongu, did not oppose Afe-Babalola’s application to amend his originating motion.
Justice Ekwo granted the reliefs and adjourned the matter till February 6, 2025 for hearing.
“Any counsel that will be responsible for the matter not being heard on that day, will be personally penalised,” Justice Ekwo warned.
NAN recalls that the former Senate president had filed the suits following the EFCC’s decision in 2019 to probe his earnings between 2003 and 2011 when he was Kwara State governor.