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House of Reps to break whistleblowers protection law for Patience

Published

9 years ago

July 27, 2017

The House of Representatives on Wednesday has asked the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to forward the identities of informants that led the agency to raiding Former First Lady Patience Jonathan’s property recently.

The House’s Committee on Public Petition gave the order on Wednesday while considering a petition on “incessant harassment” of Jonathan and family Patience filed.

The committee also summoned the EFCC, FIRS, and the police to appear as defendants in the petition.

But section 12 of the Whistleblower Protection Act passed in June says a whistle blower shall not be subject to victimisation in form of harassment or intimidation.

Patience has been embroiled in a series of corruption allegations which has been taking her in and out of court since 2015.

A Director in the NDLEA, Femi Oloruntoba, had told the committee at the hearing that the agency got a tip-off from an unnamed source that the property located at Igbeti Rock Street, Maitama, Abuja, was being used for illicit drug activities.

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“Based on the information, eight officers of the agency visited the premises after surveillance was conducted on it,” he said.

He denied that 50 officers from the agency visited the premises.

According to him, the officer who met two occupants of the premises provided them with a search endorsement form, which they endorsed. He added the search was conducted without any damage to the property or loss of items.

He said the agency was not aware that the premises belonged to the former first lady. Also a letter was written by a solicitor on behalf of a man who claimed to be the owner of the premises.

The legal team from Granville Abibo & Co. who petitioned the lower chamber on behalf of Mrs. Jonathan, had earlier told the committee that it would adopt the initial petition as its brief in the matter.

Sammie Somiarim, the leader of the team, added that additional documents were available to substantiate whatever they had raised in the petition.

He said the respondents, including the mentioned agencies, had engaged in wanton attacks on the former first lady and her relations.

“The EFCC has serially orchestrated a design to freeze the personal accounts of Mrs Jonathan, her siblings and other relations and associates,” he said.

“A case in point is one Aridolf Jo Resort Wellness and Spa Ltd off Okota Estate and Finchley Top Homes Limited which were all shut down without any justifiable reason by the EFCC with their accounts frozen.”

The committee asked its secretariat to send reminders to all agencies joined in the case that were yet to appear to provide documents regarding their role in the matter.

The committee adjourned its session to Sept. 19, 2017.