Imrana Sulaiman Maikanti
A Bauchi State High Court has dismissed an application filed by a group known as Concern Indigenes of Bauchi State seeking to stop the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) from investigating the financial dealings of the Office of the Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, particularly funds described as security votes.
In the suit marked BA/834M/2024, nine applicants argued that they had lost confidence in the ICPC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), accusing the agencies of failing to act on petitions regarding alleged financial infractions in the SSG’s office.
Through their counsel, Mr. M. J. Jaldi, the applicants claimed that the office had become a “financial drainpipe” and urged the court to mandate the anti-graft bodies to withdraw from the matter and hand it over to the Nigeria Police. Jaldi further alleged that certain actions of the Bauchi SSG, such as the payment of large sums in cash without recourse to financial institutions, contravened the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
However, the ICPC, in a counter-affidavit, opposed the reliefs sought. Alongside the EFCC, the commission argued that the applicants were attempting to use the court to subvert their statutory mandate. The agencies also noted that the applicants had not submitted any formal complaints or petitions to them against the Bauchi SSG or other respondents.
The ICPC maintained that it, the EFCC, and the NFIU were not the only anti-corruption bodies in the country, stressing that the applicants were free to approach other law enforcement agencies, including the Police, if they wished.
Delivering judgment, Justice F. U. Sarki held that the statutory powers of the ICPC, EFCC, and NFIU to investigate and prosecute did not preclude the Police from exercising its own investigative and prosecutorial authority.
“It is not within the powers of this court to restrain the 1st to 3rd Respondents from carrying out their statutory functions. The application is therefore consequently refused,” the judge ruled.
The ruling effectively upheld the authority of the anti-graft agencies to continue investigating allegations surrounding Bauchi’s security votes while reaffirming the Police’s wider investigative mandate