Go and Face Trial, Court Tells Ex Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah

                   
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, yester­day, struck out a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by a former minister of Avia­tion, Stella Oduah, against the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and three others.
Justice Abang struck out the suit for lack of jurisdiction to entertain it and also ordered Oduah to pay N15,000 to the AGF.

Respondents in the suit were the AGF, the Economic and Financial Crimes Com­mission (EFCC), the Inde­pendent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP).


Oduah had filed the suit in August 2015 and prayed the court to restrain agencies of the Federal Government from questioning or prosecut­ing her over the purchase of two armoured BMW vehicles at a cost of N255 million by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) under her watch as the aviation minister in 2013.


Oduah claimed to have already been probed and ex­onerated by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation and the EFCC and urged Justice Abang to declare that any further probe would amount to violating her fundamental rights. Oduah al­leged that the ruling All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) intended to use the respon­dents to persecute her, being a prominent member of the op­position Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In his ruling, the judge held that if the Federal Govern­ment had any valid reason to arraign Oduah in a Lagos State High Court as she al­leged, it would not amount to a violation of her rights.