Saraki accuses Buhari’s government of judicial abuse

A former Senate President, Dr.  Bukola Saraki, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of judicial abuse.

The EFCC had in May accused Saraki of “conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds, theft, and money-laundering,” consequently labelling his houses as proceeds of unlawful activities.

Justice  Mohammed Liman sitting at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, granted the commission an interim order forfeiting two of Saraki’s houses in Ikoyi to the Nigerian Government.

On Monday, Rilwan Aikawa, a judge at the same court, ordered the forfeiture of two houses belonging to Saraki in Ilorin through an ex-parte motion filed by the EFCC.

The commission said  Saraki acquired the property located at 1, Abdulkadir Street, GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State, through proceeds of unlawful activity.

Reacting to the forfeiture, Saraki, through his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, accused the commission of playing politics.

He said, “The EFCC’s claim that the Ilorin property was built by any proceeds of fraud is outrightly false.

“One can only see that EFCC is playing politics and spreading falsehood in its cheap attempt to witch-hunt and intimidate a perceived enemy.

”The fact is that the Ilorin property was built partly by the Kwara State Government pursuant to the Third Schedule of the Governor and Deputy Governor (Payment of Pension) Law 2010 while Dr Saraki personally funded the remaining cost of the building.”

The two-term governor said the court had “restrained the respondents (EFCC) by itself, subordinates, agents, servants, or privies howsoever, from seizing, impounding, taking over, confiscating or otherwise forfeiting the applicant’s (Saraki) right to and peacefully enjoy any of his assets and properties.”

He added:  “There are letters from the Office of the Head of Service of Kwara State notifying the former governor (Saraki) of the state government’s compliance with the State Pension for Governor’s Law and the one indicating his intention to bear the cost of the additional expenditure that will arise from building the property to his desired taste dated January 25, 2012 and February 8, 2012 respectively.

“The construction of the building did not commence until the last few weeks of Dr Saraki’s tenure as governor and the bulk of his contribution to the funding were made with cheques. Where cash was involved, this was mainly in 2012 and 2013, more than a year after he had left office as governor.

“It should also be noted that the land on which the house is built is not a government allocated land.”

He also said the EFCC “could not even hide its penchant for abusing the nation’s judicial institution as it engaged in forum shopping when it filed a suit in Lagos on a property situated in Ilorin”. Buhari commissions National Security Strategy 2019.