On Friday 22nd January 2021, The Supreme Court, refused the request by a brother to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Alhaji Ali Abacha, to unfreeze the accounts traced to him and relatives of the late Head of State in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Jersey, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg.
The apex court in a consentient judgment of a five-man panel led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta held that Ali Abacha’s case was statute-barred as at when it was commenced in April 2004 at the Federal High Court in Kaduna State.
The judgment was in the appeal marked: SC/359/2010, filed by Alhaji Ali Abacha, said to be a brother of the late Gen. Sani Abacha.
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In the lead judgment prepared by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, but read on Friday by Justice Ejembi Eko, the court held that having dismissed a similar appeal in an earlier judgment given in February 2020, it has no reason to depart from its reasoning that case brought by Alhaji Abba Mohammed Sani on behalf of the Abacha’s family.
The court quoted it noticed, that the appellant in this appeal is represented by R. O. Atabo Esq, who, incidentally, was the appellant’s counsel in the earlier appeal, however, the apex court quoted “No new superior arguments were proferred here to warrant a departure from the decision in the case of Alhaji Sani, earlier decided. This appeal fails, and it is hereby dismissed. Parties to bear their costs”.
The appeal was against, a judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna division on 19th July 2010, in which a three-man panel set aside the September 24, 2004 judgment by Justice Mohammed Liman of Federal High Court, Kaduna, earlier given in favour of Ali Abacha.
Alhaji Ali Abacha had sued at the Federal High Court, Kaduna in 2004, challenging among others, the 1999 decision by the Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, acting through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi (SAN), to request the freezing of all accounts traced to the late Abacha, his family members, and relatives in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Jersey, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg.
Abacha problem never ends.
By; Authentic Mike
