Probe of Dariye: Court Restrains Commission

Isaac Shobayo, Jos - 20.06.2009

A Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, has restrained the Justice Morounkeji Onalaja Judicial Commission of Inquiry from going ahead with the probe of the tenure of the former Governor Joshua Dariye from 1999 to 2007.

It will be recalled that the former governor and 49 others had dragged the state government to court on the grounds that the state has no power to institute a judicial panel of inquiry to probe their tenure.

The same high court had also set aside the white paper issued by the state government from the reports of the various administrative panels of inquiries it had set up which had indicted Dariye.

In his application, the former governor of the state and 49 others argued that the panel constituted by the state government lacked the power to investigate and, at the same, recommend punishment and prosecute anybody especially those mentioned in respect of what transpired from 1999 to 2007.

The applicants also wanted the court to declare that Jang acted ultra vires by constituting a commission of inquiry to probe the affairs of the Plateau Investment and Property Development Company (PIPC), and Plateau Express Services Limited as the two were limited liability companies duly incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act Cap C20 of the laws of the federation of Nigeria.