Senate drops assault probe of CCT Chairman, Umar

The Senate has halted its probe of an alleged assault on a security man, Clement Sargwak, at the Banex Plaza in Abuja, by the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Danladi Umar.

This comes barely one week after Umar filed a suit against the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, and the Senate panel set up fornthe probe.

Senate called off the probe pending hearing of the case in court.

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition, led by Senator Ayo Akinyelure, which made the announcement on Tuesday, halted further investigations into the matter as the upper legislative chamber proceeds on its summer vacation.

In the suit instituted by Umar, the CCT Chairman had approached the court to determine if the “lawmakers were not usurping the powers of the police and judiciary in initiating the probe.

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In the suit numbered FHC/ABJ/ CS/671/2021, Umar had contested the panel’s constitutional power to conduct the investigation.

He had specifically prayed the court to interpret if the “constitutional powers granted the Senate or the investigating committee covered public assaults and also if the functions were not exclusive to the police and the courts of law.

When the matter came up at the panel’s hearing without Umar making an appearance or represented by any attorney, Akinyelure announced the panel’s decision to set aside the case.

The Senator said the panel took the decision because Umar had circumvented the Senate by going to court midway, having appeared before the committee twice.

“The CCT chairman appeared the first time only to deceive us to give him time to study the petition for which he was given three weeks, only for him to turn around to bring an originating summons,” Akinyelure stated.

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