The Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos today, Friday, September 20, 2024, adjourned the case filed by a contracting firm, Ronchess Global Resources, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Kaduna State Government (KADSG) and others to October 11, 2024 for hearing. This followed a previous order of the Court which joined the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) and the State Security Service (SSS) as Respondents in the case.

On July 12, 2024, the court granted the application of Ronchess Global Resources to restrain the EFCC, IGP and the Kaduna State House of Assembly from taking steps that may jeopardize the fundamental rights of directors of the company or in any other way overreach the subject matter of the case pending before the Court. It is the case of the Applicants before the court that at all material times, Ronchess Global Resources was a contractor to the Kaduna State Government having executed a contract for the construction of several roads in the state. This followed the successful completion of previous road projects in the State by the same company.

Following reliable information that the Kaduna State Government was planning to terminate the contract, Ronchess Global filed a suit at the Kaduna State High Court to stop the said unilateral termination and to claim all its outstanding fees.

Whilst the case was pending in court, the Kaduna State Government through its House of Assembly purported to conduct a probe on the same subject matter, even while the case pending in court was yet to be determined one way or the other. While awaiting the defence of the Kaduna State Government to the suit pending in court, the Applicants received an invitation from the EFCC in respect of the same subject matter of the suit pending in court, whereupon they filed the present suit.

At today?s proceedings, the Applicants were represented by Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN while Sule Shuaibu, SAN, the Attorney-General of Kaduna State, represented the State. Adegboruwa, SAN informed the court of the joinder of the ICPC and SSS as respondents in the suit through the order of the Court granted on August 29, 2024. He told the court that the Applicants received another invitation from ICPC notwithstanding the subsisting court order, which necessitated the need to join ICPC in the suit since it was on the same subject matter. Consequent upon this, the Applicants have filed their Amended Originating Motion to reflect the joinder of the new parties.

Onwuewuno, who represented EFCC informed the court that although they have received the Amended Originating Motion, he did not know that the order to join ICPC and SSS had already been made. He then promised to file his amended processes to reflect the parties that have been joined. Shuaibu, SAN informed the court that they were not well seised of the joineder hence they proceeded to file their defences, but they will need to file new processes to reflect the parties that have been joined.

Adegbourwa, SAN thereafter told the court that he had filed a notice of discontinuance in respect of the case described as Oriete Chris and he wants the case struck out. Upon verifying the said Notice of Discontinuance in the court file, Hon Jus A.O. Owoeye struck out the case, thus putting paid to the attempt to intimidate the human rights activist. This was the case erroneously filed against a non-existent entity in which Adegboruwa was falsely accused of filing the case whereas he insisted that his office received proper instructions from Ronchess Global to file the suit on behalf of all its directors and officers.

By consent of counsel, the case was adjourned to October 11, 2024 for hearing of all pending applications.

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