ICPC summons Obono-Obla for second time

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said it was yet to receive any court suit from the suspended chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Okoi Obono-Obla to challenge his probe.

Obono-Obla had said he filed a suit to challenge his probe by the Commission.

It could be recalled that he was suspended on August 14 over allegations of “records falsification ” and “extortion”.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who announced his suspension, said he would be investigated and prosecuted by the ICPC.

But sources close to Obono-Obla confirmed that he filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the probe last Tuesday.
The ICPC was said to be the sole respondent to the suit.

The sources also confirmed that Obono-Obla refused to appear before the ICPC earlier last Monday due to his plan to challenge the summons by the anti-corruption agency.

A lawyer, Mr Oluwatosin Ojaomo, who served as a prosecutor under him at the SPIP, confirmed the development.

Ojaomo said: “The suit essentially seeks to restrain the ICPC from arresting or summoning him. He contends in the suit that the ICPC had already judged him and convicted him before inviting him for interrogation.”

But the spokesperson of the ICPC, Rasheedat Okoduwa, in an interview with The Guardian, confirmed that Obono-Obla failed to honour the Commission’s invitation.

Okoduwa noted that the ICPC has sent another invitation to him stating the date and time he should appear.

“We invited him the first time and he didn’t turn up. So, we have invited him again. I think I was told we have done that again.”

Asked if the Commission has received any court suit, she said: “As regards his suit in the court, since he is taking something to court, we have not received any copy of such suit.

“We are a law-abiding Commission. If he has sued us and we are served we will do the needful; we will go to court with them and see what he has to say but we have written him again to common to the Commission.”

“What he decides to do about our invitation is not for us to prejudge; ours is to do what we need to do,” Okoduwa said.