Buhari London treatment expenses can’t be released, Court rules

A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice John Tsoho on Tuesday ruled on a suit demanding information on President Muhammadu Buhari’s London treatment last year.

The suit was filed by a civil society group, Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative.

The group had in the suit, under the Freedom of Information Act, sought for information about the amount of taxpayer’s money that must have been spent in treating Buhari in London.

But ruling on the matter, Justice Tsoho said that the information sought related to personal information of an elected person like Buhari and which was exempted by Section 14(1)(b) of the FoI Act, 2011.

According to the court, the information cannot be released without Buhari’s consent.

The court further held that the Central Bank of Nigeria and its Governor, Godwin Emefiele, could not be held liable for not disclosing the information, having transferred the group’s October 19, 2017 request to the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

According to Justice Tsoho, the plaintiff should have followed up on the information with the Office of the Chief of Staff, but refused to take advantage of it, in otherwise denying itself of a definite answer from the government.

The judge went further to strike out the name of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as the third defendant on the argument that “no reasonable cause of action” was disclosed against him.

Also struck out by the judge was the plaintiff’s request for damages.

Justice Tsoho subsequently sacked the suit and held that it was “bound to fail.”

READ ALSO : Fani-Kayode says Buhari lied over comments on Biafra war

Buhari had last year spent 103 days in London receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

The group had in their suit alleged that the overseas medical expenses were paid for from the Nigerian treasury.

In a letter dated October 19, 2017 to the CBN, it requested, based on the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, the details of the spendings.

 

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