The Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from confiscating assets and property of the immediate-past governor of Zamfara, Abdul’aziz Yari.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo gave the ruling on Monday. Yari’s counsel, Mahmud Magaji, had filed an ex-parte application for interim injunctions to restrain the ICPC and AGF from interfering with Yari’s enjoyment of the rights enshrined in Sections 34, 35, 37, 41 and 43 of the Constitution.
Justice Taiwo also ordered parties in the case to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Taiwo said the orders made are to subsist pending the determination of the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Yari.
The court had last Friday granted ICPC’s request to freeze Yari’s accounts in Polaris and Zenith banks.
The judge, however, said that the orders made on Monday did not affect the earlier one relating to only accounts in the two banks. ICPC alleged that Yari and the companies received various funds belonging to the Zamfara State Government through their accounts with two commercial banks.
The funds in the various accounts, the commission said, remained only N24,289,910 and $669,248 as of the time of filing the applications.
