The Federal High Court in Abuja,
presided over by Justice John Tsoho, was on Wednesday thrown to total
confusion, as Nigerian Police brought an application to seal the National
Headquarters of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN).
This came as a shocker to the
Peace Corps, which said its office had hitherto being under lock and key by the
police.
The PCN, through its counsel,
Chief Kanu Agabi, had filed a motion on notice on 6th October 2017, seeking an
order of the court to unseal its office located at No 57 Iya Abubakar Crescent,
off Alex Ekwueme way, opposite Jabi Lake, Jabi, Abuja.
The motion which was supported by
20-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Barr. Ogar Christopher Ogar with
written addresses and 4 exhibits, said the Nigerian Police had sealed the Peace
Corps office since the day it raided its premises on February 28th 2017, when
the National Commandant of the Corps, Amb (Dr.) Dickson Akoh and 49 others were
arrested.
Moving the motion on Wednesday,
the lead Counsel in Chief Agabi chamber, Barr. John Ochogwu, said the property
in question was leased to PCN, contrary to the submission of the Counsel to
police that the Corps built the office with illicit proceed from crime.
Ochogwu, in an emotion laden
voice prayed the court to help unseal the office as his client, the PCN had
suffered hardship since the office was sealed 9 months ago.
In a twist of event, the Police
Counsel, Barr JCA Idachaba, moved a motion, asking the court for an order to
seal the National Headquarters of PCN.
He said, a motion on notice had
been filed on the 4th of October, 2017, with a 16-paragraph affidavit deposed
to by one Sergeant Philip Tsumba and 17-paragraph written address.
Idachaba claimed that the
property of the Peace Corps was ill gotten and should not only be sealed by the
order of the court, but it should also be temporarily forfeited by the Corps.
He denied the fact that the
office had been sealed ab initio, saying the Defendant Applicant could not
produce any evidence to compel the court to believe that the office was sealed.
Replying on point of law,
Barrister Ochogwu tendered picture evidences, showing the office was under lock
and keys with heavy presence of the Nigerian Police and Police Van.
He prayed the court to mandate an
officer of the court to visit the said office with the view to ascertaining the
veracity or otherwise of the claim that the Police sealed the office.
This prayer was, however,
objected by Idachaba, who said it would amount to abuse of court process if the
court sent anyone to the premises to verify whether it was sealed or not.
Justice Tsoho therefore reserved
judgement till January 15th, on the respective applications submitted by both
the Peace Corps and the Nigerian Police.
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