The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation has asked the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to freeze the bank accounts of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
In a letter dated January 14, 2018 with reference number HAGF/2019/E06/Vol.01, the AGF said the order was in line with Executive Order 06 on the preservation of assets connected with corruption.
In the document signed by Abiodun Aikomo on behalf of the AGF, Onnoghen’s dollar, pounds, euro and naira accounts with Standard Chartered Bank were requested to be frozen.
The five accounts bearing Onnoghen’s name have the following numbers: 0001062650, 9300106268, 285001062679, 5001062683 and 0010626667.
The letter read in part, “I am directed by Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to request that you, pursuant to Executive Order 6 of 2018, forthwith restrict normal banking operations on certain accounts belonging to Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen pending final determination of the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT/ABJ/1/19 – Federal Republic of Nigeria v Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen Nkanu Walter Samuel.
“These accounts are: Account number 5001062683 (euro) Standard Chartered Bank. 5001062683 (pounds) 0001062650 (dollar), 0010626667 (naira) and 5001062683 (naira).
Onnoghen is accused of failing to declare the funds in the accounts in his asset declaration form.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) in a statement on Wednesday said it “has uncovered yet another dastardly plot by the Buhari led APC govt to harm the Chief Justice of Nigeria for refusing to compromise the composition of the post 2019 election Supreme Court Appeal Tribunal.”
The statement was signed by the first National Spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
The statement added: “Lobbying of all sorts by the APC chieftains to get the Chief Justice of Nigeria to accept to compromise the Presidential Election Appeal Tribunal and to compose the Governorship election Supreme Court Appeal Tribunal in Rivers state, Akwa Ibom State, Delta State, Lagos state, Benue State, Imo State, Kwara State, Plateau state, Kaduna State, Abia State and Sokoto State with their preferred choices of justices did not succeed as the Chief Justice had remained faithful to his Oath of office and said by his actions that the Supreme Court was neither going to be partisan nor partial and would not consider such requests.
“The current ordeal of the Honourable Chief Justice will not end soon. He is up against people who are desperate and who do not care if the engine of state grinds to a halt. They have taken this dastardly attack to a new low by freezing all the family assets of the family of the CJN.
“We are in possession of the letter from the Attorney General of the Federation to this effect. This onslaught on the judiciary is as undemocratic as it is unconstitutional. This is capable of further derailing our democracy as such brazen violation of the Constitution is only tantamount to treason.
“With the happenings in the last 48 hours and the insistence of the Presidency to either get the CJN to comply or be removed from office, we hereby notify the nation that the life of the Honourable CJN, Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen as well as those of his family members is not safe. The situation will very quickly descend into compromising the security of the CJN. The APC govt views the resistance of the CJN to the plot to hijack the Supreme court as the only piece that has not been fixed in its grand design to rig and manipulate the 2019 general election for President Muhammadu Buhari and APC chieftains.
“Nigerians will be shocked by the contents of the letter directing the freezing of the accounts and assets of the CJN. We hereby attach it.
“We are also in possession of audio recordings of meetings of those behind the plot including call records which we will be releasing as we analyze them. It is still amazing how the Buhari led APC govt is continuing in this path of ignominy, opprobrium, reproach, and dishonour despite the widespread outrage by Nigerians across board. Their mind is made up. They believe nothing can stop them now.
“God forbid they succeed in this plot. God forbid they truncate our democracy. God forbid they set our country ablaze as the desire. God forbid! God forbid!! God forbid!!!
“We hereby call on all well-meaning Nigerians to start speaking out now; on all voters to be firm to resist these invaders of our democratic space by going to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and turning out en masse to resist them on 16th February and 2nd March, 2019.
“On a final note, if you are sleeping wake up, if you are eating stop and if you are playing stop and activate your vigilance mode and come out now to join the struggle to stop these men who learnt their politics from the likes of Blaise Camperoe of Burkina Faso and Nkurunziza of Burundi from burning down our Democracy and Institution of justice and constitutional governance.”
Punch
