Review Of Court Judgment: Call PSC Chairman To Order, SAN Writes Tinubu

ABUJA – A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Terkaa Aondo, has written a petition to President Bola Tinubu, demanding him to call the Chairman of Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd), to order over an attempt to review a lawful judgement of court.

In a letter to President Tinubu, dated January 29, Aondo, specifically
asked President Tinubu to call the PSC Chairman to order for meddling unlawfully into enforcement of judgement of court of competent jurisdiction.

Recall that by a suit marked: FCT/HC/CV/330/2018, one Alhaji Usman Saraki, had challenged the unlawful and illegal revocation of plot 1798 Cadastral Zone A2, Wuse District, Abuja, covered by a Certificate of Occupancy, without service of Revocation notice in line with the Land Use Act.

Upon determination of the case, the court favoured Alhaji Saraki and nullified the purported revocation
and subsequent reallocation, describing the action as illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

The judgment was enforced on 19/12/2024, and all the occupants were evicted.

But on 25/12/24, according to the petition, one Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar and his thugs, allegedly broke back into the property against the order of the FCT High Court.

“It is pertinent to note that, on the 25/12/2024, one Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya, the brother in-law to a top high ranked official of the Police Service Commission, aided by weapon-wielding thugs, criminally and forcefully broke in and entered into the property in total disrespect to the order of court that had evicted them, the SAN wrote.

Following complaint to the Court and the Police, on 14/1/2025, the illegal occupants were evicted from the property, and our client put back in possession” the petitioner stated.

However, Alhaji Yahaya approached the court in a suit marked . FCT/HC/CV/5699/2024, over the enforcement of judgment and secured an injunction to stop further construction work on the property and also petitioned the PSC, following which a panel, chaired by the Chairman of the
Commission, DIG Argungu is said to be conducting an investigation into the enforcement of judgment of the court over a civil matter.

The petitioner noted that despite the pendency of the matter before FCT High Court, his client was invited by a letter personally signed by the Chairman of the PSC to appear before a panel set up by the PSC Chairman over issues relating to the Court judgment and its enforcement which are subject of Suit no. FCT/HC/CV/5699/2024 pending before FCT High Court No. 5, Maitama, presided over by Hon. Justice Mairo Nasir.

According to the SAN, when the panel sat on 27/1/2025, most of the issues it raised related to the where-about of the judgment creditor; how the plot was allocated and how the judgment was obtained and enforced, which are all matters that have been
decided on merit by the Court in Suit no. FCT/HC/CV/330/2018, and which also form the basis of the pending litigation in suit no. FCT/HC/CV/5699/2024.

“All efforts by counsel to make the Chairman appreciate the fact that the investigation over the plot of land upon which a judgment of court subsists, is outside the mandate of the Commission, proved abortive.

“In the course of the sitting on 27/1/2025, in a rather shocking and bizarre twist, the Chairman directed the Panel to pay a visit to the locus in quo for a first hand assessment of the property, and deployed several Police vehicles and armoured vehicle, for this purpose” the petitioner stated.

A senior official of the PSC, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, said he is not aware of the panel.

According to him, “To the best of my knowledge, I’m not aware of such panel.”

The SAN stated that his client feels intimidated by the posture and threats by the Chairman of the PSC, but he is nonetheless, uninterested in any resolution of the matter outside the Court.

The SAN concludes that: “It is important to note sir, that it is against the hallowed principle of rule of law, which your administration is poised to protect, for an appointee of an exalted public office to deliberately interfere in the judicial process and the cause of justice.

“We pray your Excellency Sir, to use your good offices to call the Chairman of the Police Service Commission to order and to cause him to align himself with the mandate for which the Commission was established.”