Justice Onnoghen wins court order refraining federal government from freezing his bank accounts

EMBATTLED chief judge of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen has received another major reprieve after an Abuja federal high court passed a ruling in his favour barring the federal government from freezing his bank accounts.

Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Justice Onnoghen and replaced him with Justice Tanko Mohammed, who was sworn-in as the acting chief judge of Nigeria (CJN). Justice Onnoghen has been involved in intense political jockeying with the government that involved him being charged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and the matter is now the subject of several law suits.

While the matter was still pending in court, President Buhari decided to suspend Justice Onnoghen, leading to accusations that he interfering with the independence of the judiciary. Amid rumours that the federal government plans to freeze his bank accounts, Justice Onnoghen went to court to seek an injunction preventing this and yesterday, the Abuja high court ruled in his favour.

Presiding judge Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, ruled that the attorney-general of the federation cannot freeze Justice Onnoghen's bank accounts without first obtaining a court order authorising such action. She gave the ruling in response to an ex-parte application filed by the Legal Defence and Assistance Project against President Buhari, the attorney-general the AGF and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

Justice Ojukwu ruled: “That the attorney-general of the federation shall first obtain an order of court before freezing the accounts of Justice Onnoghen Nkanu Walter Samuel. Where it is shown that the order of court was obtained before the freezing of the accounts contained in Exhibit B, the freezing order shall remain valid.

“That order to be served on the respondents pending the hearing of the motion on notice. That the matter is adjourned to 13th day of February 2019 for report/motion on notice.”

Last month, the federal government, through the attorney-general of the federation Abubakar Malami, directed the NFIU to freeze five bank accounts belonging to Justice Onnoghen, pending the final determination of the case against him at the CCT. It is not yet clear whether Mr Malami will now seek a court order allowing him to freeze the accounts.