Onnoghen: Industrial court issues order

The National Industrial Court has issued an order restraining the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT)  from going ahead with the trial of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen.

Onnoghen is charged with false asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Bureau last week, after a leader of a group, the Anti-corruption, Research and Data-based Initiative, petitioned the bureau.

The petitioner is a member of the APC and the defunct CPC, a legacy member of the ruling party.

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court (FHC) issued a similar order Monday afternoon thanks to separate ex-parte applications to suspend the ongoing trial of the head of Nigeria’s third arm of government.

The high court adjourned the substantive matter till January 17, and directed a service of notice to the parties to appear in court and explain why the trial should not be stopped.

The National Industrial Court allowed the earlier ex-parte motion seeking to suspend further action by parties to the matter, pending the determination of an application challenging the CCT trial.

Justice Sanusi Kado made an interim order for the suspension of the trial pending the determination of the suit challenging Mr Onnoghen’s false asset charge at the CCT.

The order restrained the CCT chairman, Danladi Umar; the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami from proceeding with the hearing, pending the determination of the substantive application before the court which will be heard on January 21.