The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed March 7, 2023, for the hearing of a corruption case filed by the Spokesperson of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC-PCC), Festus Keyamo (SAN), against Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Keyamo had dragged the former Vice President, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), before the court over an allegation by Atiku’s former media aide, Michael Achimugu.
Keyamo had sued the anti-graft agencies as defendants, seeking the order of the court to compel them to arrest and prosecute Atiku after a 72-hour ultimatum issued for the former Vice president’s arrest expired.
Atiku, the EFCC, ICPC and the CCB are 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants respectively.
Keyemo had approached the court on Friday, seeking substituted service as Atiku could not be served the court summons due to his involvement in the presidential campaign rally.
However, Justice J.K. Omotosho, on Friday, ordered that in view of the difficulty being experienced to serve Atiku the writ of summons, all court processes be served by dropping and pasting the same on the former Vice President’s premises and offices.
Among other prayers, Keyamo is seeking “A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 1st Defendant is under a legal obligation to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for a thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants are under a legal obligation to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st Defendant in respect of the information available to the 1st Defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.”
