Looters’ list: Lagos court rules against Lai Mohammed in fresh legal battle

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that court papers be served on the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, over the list of alleged looters he released.

Recall that a Rivers High Court in Port Harcourt in April, restrained the minister from mentioning Uche Secondus, the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the list.
On Monday, Ferdinand Orbih, counsel to ex-minister Nenadi Usman, informed the court that he had an exparte application which he would wish to move subject to the court’s convenience.

Orbih told the court that his application was brought in pursuant to the provisions of the Sheriffs and Civil Processes Act as well as the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules.
He said his application was seeking leave of the court, to serve a motion on notice, on Mr Mohammed, over alleged acts of contempt.
Orbih told the court that the minister had published a list of looters some weeks back, and had named the first accused (Ms Usman) as number 19 on that list.

He urged the court to grant the exparte application enabling the defence to serve the said motion on notice on the minister in Abuja, by substituted means, as personal service may not be feasible.
He argued that the court possessed powers to order that the motion be served on any responsible senior official of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, and therefore, urged the court to grant his application.
In his ruling, Justice Mohammed Aikawa held: “I have perused the application including the supporting affidavits and I am satisfied that the application ought to be granted.
“The application is granted save that it should be served on his Confidential Secretary in Abuja,” he said.