Angered by the refusal of Hameed Ali, the comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to appear before them today, Wednesday, March 22, senators are reportedly contemplating invoking a warrant of arrest against him.
Ali wrote to the Senate on Tuesday, March
21 intimating the chamber of his decision to shun their invitation
because of the legal dimension the issue between him and the legislators
has assumed.
Ali was disgraced
recently when he honoured the invitation of the senators because he
refused to wear the uniform of the customs service which he heads. He
was then asked to report today in uniform.
The Nation is reporting that the Senate
has insisted Ali must appear before it as no court can stop it from
carrying out its statutory functions.
One Mohammed Ibrahim, a lawyer is seeking the court for interpretation concerning the issue between Ali and the Senate.
“Somebody has sued us. It is
subjudice. I have got my writ of summons and they said status quo ante
should remain, which means nothing should move until the court makes a
pronouncement,.
“A private individual sued all of us; he wants an interpretation of the section that is in contention. I don’t want to talk so that I am not held in contempt of court.“Based on the advice from lawyers and briefing from the office of the Attorney-General and minister of Justice who is also a party in the suit, I won’t be appearing before the Senate tomorrow until the court decides otherwise,” Ali had told journalists on Tuesday.
Speaking
on the development, the chairman of the Senate committee on media and
public affairs, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, confirmed that the AGF indeed sent
a letter.
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