COURT-ARRAIGNING ZAMFARA ASSEMBLY SPEAKER AND SIX OTHERS, SUSPENDED LAWMAKERS

Babatunji Wusu –

The Zamfara state House of Assembly suspended eight lawmakers, and they filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court.

The politicians were arguing that their constitutional rights to freedom, human dignity, and a fair trial had been violated, and that their assets had been seized without following the correct legal channels.

The State’s Attorney General, the Commissioner for Justice, Bilyaminu Moriki, the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, the House Clerk, the state Commissioner of Police, and the Director of the Department of State Service (DSS) were the seven parties named in the lawsuit.

Justice Aminu Bappa, the court’s sitting judge, is reported to have granted the application and rescheduled the hearing for April 29 in order to properly serve the respondents who were not served because of the registry’s concerns.

After the court session, Ibrahim Ali, the attorney representing the eight legislators who were suspended, spoke to the media and asked for a hearing date so that the other respondents may be properly served.

“The case was for hearing at the Federal High Court Gusau, but due to complaints from the registry that some respondents, such as the state Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Service (DSS), and others, were not served,” Vanguard quoted Ali as saying.

According to what he says, his clients have claimed that the Speaker is working with the Nigerian Police, State Service, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) to try and obtain them for prosecution.

The State Assembly’s 17 members forcibly invaded the State House of Assembly on February 22 and held a plenary session, which is the basis for this action.

It is noteworthy that eight assembly members had previously been suspended by the state House of Assembly at a plenary session, which was led by the Speaker.
The grounds for this suspension were the alleged violations of the assembly’s constitution and the law by these members.