The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has been dragged before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, over abuse of office.
Also dragged before the court alongside the minister is a staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Ms Asabe Waziri, after the AGF was accused of bias in its prosecution.
Asabe, a civil servant was said to have bought a property worth N130million in Maitama District of Abuja.
In the suit, filed by businessman and property developer, Mr Cecil Osakwe, he is praying the court for an order of N1billion damages against the AGF.
Osakwe, through his lawyer, Mr Victor Giwa, said his reputation had been damaged through the actions and decisions of the AGF in a civil case between two individuals.
Osakwe sued Malami in his personal and official capacity for abuse of his office, when he (Malami) preferred charges against him, and used the charge as a tool to blackmail and arm-twist him to give out two units of 3-bedroom flats in one of his properties at Mekong close Maitama, Abuja to Asabe Waziri, even against a valid Court Order.
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According to him, his client brought the action against the AGF because Malami allegedly acted with malice, and abused his office in raising charge of “collecting money under false pretence” from Asabe Waziri, when he was fully aware that Asabe Waziri moved into the property and lived in the said property for over eight months before she was eventually vacated from the property by a lawful court order that terminated the sales transaction between both parties.
Asabe Waziri and Cecil Osakwe have been in a fierce battle over the control of two units of 3-bedroom flats which was sold to Asabe Waziri by Abeh Signature Ltd, a company owned by Cecil Osakwe.
Osakwe had approached a High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, seeking the cancellation of the sales transaction regarding two units of 3-bedroom flats between Abeh Signature Ltd and Asabe Waziri for reasons that Asabe Waziri, a staff of the then NNPC, being a public officer, made huge cash payment in dollars to his company; a transaction Cecil suspected to be suspicious under the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML).
The case is slated for hearing and the Attorney-General is expected to put up a defence for himself and for his office.
