News
Onnoghen: CUPP Releases Leaked NJC’s Resolution …Raises Alarm Over Security Lockdown Of NJC
Opposition political parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties yesterday said it had obtained credible intelligence that a combined team of security agents has been approved by the Presidency to cordon off the venue of the National Judicial Council meeting scheduled for Monday as members proceed to consider the answers to the queries issued to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen and Justice Tanko Mohammed.
According to a statement yesterday by the coalition’s spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, the operatives have been handed instructions that they should do whatever is necessary to ensure the NJC indicts the CJN and set Justice Mohammed free from all allegations.
The coalition’s spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, in a statement said an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and another senior officer from the Department of State Services are to coordinate the operation.
Ugochinyere said, “The security agents are to claim that there is intelligence of a possible breach of security which would warrant the increased security.
“They are to coax, coerce and show some members their unfavourable security reports to get them to do the bidding of the government.
“This latest decision was informed by the fact that the Federal Government is aware that the Nigerian opposition has obtained further evidence to prove that the removal of Justice Walter Onnoghen from office by President Buhari is merely for political purpose having failed in a bid to recruit the CJN to support the APC and use the exalted office of the Chief Justice to unduly favour the Party and the President in the post 2019 Supreme Court election petition appeals. Knowing that they do not have anything on the CJN, they have resorted to strong-arm tactics, intimidation and harassment.
“It has come to light that the Interim Investigation Report which was intercepted by the opposition was actually a report of a former investigation by the EFCC which was found to have no merit and which was discarded but was now doctored by the EFCC Chairman and submitted to the President as a purported indictment of the CJN.
“A copy of the statement issued by the former spokesperson of the Commission on September 6, 2017 clearly showed that the EFCC had investigated the CJN following his appointment as Acting CJN and had discarded the petitions after full investigations.
“The Chairman of EFCC is simply framing the CJN in a bid to help shield the Presidency from the obvious unconstitutional act of the removal of the CJN.”
Ugochinyere claimed that from the Interim Report submitted by Magu, it was clear that the investigation covered the period ending in 2016 just before the appointment as acting CJN and the commission did not find any merit in the petition. He added that while reproducing the same report, Magu presented it as an ongoing report and purported to make insinuations that the CJN was corrupt.
“The report also shows that President Muhammadu Buhari was aware of the investigation both at the EFCC and the Code of Conduct Bureau and exposed the fact that the Vice-President Pastor Yemi Osinbajo was not telling the truth to the entire nation and the world when he publicly claimed that the President was not aware of the activities of the investigating agencies concerning the CJN. Both the Vice President and the EFCC Chairman ought to tender their resignations having been exposed indubitably to have lied to the nation so as to save the government some shame and reference as a lying government. It is now categorical that the government manipulated institutions of state to frame up, blackmail and tarnish the image of persons who refuse to be recruited into their unpatriotic plot.
“Now that the truth has been laid bare, the Nigerian opposition declares that the unlawful and unconstitutional removal of Justice Walter Onnoghen from office by President Muhammadu Buhari was merely a political move and was completely unconnected to any fight against corruption. It is clear that the travails of the CJN is politically motivated, an afterthought, a witch-hunt and a calculated attempt to continue the unwarranted attacks and harassment of the head of the judiciary and third arm of government because he refused to yield his office for trading of judgments and judicial reprieve.
“The factional CJN Tanko Mohammed is now yielding the office of the CJN to the Executive to manipulate the NJC meeting for his own personal gain and to reap the fruit of the illegal forced suspension of Justice Onnoghen. Nigerians are reminded to keep vigil over the venue so that the last hope of the common man is not conquered. Also the members of the NJC are the last line of defence for the judiciary and they bear the burden of standing firm to resist this invasion by these political barbarians by sacking Justice Tanko Mohammed from the bench for conniving to breach the NJC guidelines and the 1999 Constitution. The plot to use security agents to attempt to intimidate members of the NJC is reprehensible, condemnable and repugnant and must be dismantled immediately as continuing with it will be one abuse too many in a constitutional democracy,” he added.
SERAP, in a statement released by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, yesterday, said the allegations involved the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office.
The allegations were documented in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on August 7, 2026.
According to the report, the findings covered various periods between January 2023 and December 31, 2024.
In the suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26 and filed last week, SERAP is seeking a declaration that the government’s failure to account for the funds violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
The organisation is also asking the court to order the government to provide a comprehensive account of the questioned funds, investigate the alleged irregularities, recover any money improperly spent or diverted where established, and strengthen financial oversight of social-protection programmes.
SERAP argued that the alleged financial irregularities could undermine the rights of vulnerable Nigerians to social security and an adequate standard of living, including access to food, clothing and housing.
The statement party read, “The funds were intended to benefit over 3.2 million households across 35 states, whose access to financial assistance has been affected by the allegations made by the Auditor-General.”
The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, stated that the government’s failure to investigate the allegations and recover any improperly spent funds violated its obligations to protect vulnerable households.
“The failure to investigate the N78.8 billion cash-transfer scandal, account for the questioned funds and recover any unlawfully spent amounts violates Nigeria’s obligations to protect the human rights of vulnerable households,” the suit partly read.
The organisation said it instituted the case to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit.
“SERAP brings this public-interest case to protect the interests of affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit,” it stated.
The organisation maintained that cash-transfer programmes could help address extreme poverty and enable vulnerable people to meet their basic needs, but argued that the government had a duty to ensure the funds were properly managed.
“The right to social security cannot be effectively realised merely by establishing a formal cash-transfer programme where the State fails to maintain reasonable systems for identifying beneficiaries, maintaining records, reconciling disbursements, monitoring expenditure, investigating irregularities and remedying losses,” the statement further stated.
According to SERAP, the Auditor-General questioned approximately N33.751bn reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023, noting that adequate records to verify the payments and reconcile beneficiary records were not provided.
The report also identified N36.744bn in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits, N4.616bn in unsupported expenditures, N350.182m for enrolment, N89.511m for store purchases and N17.422m in diesel advances.
SERAP said the suit was brought under Article 9(4) of the ECOWAS Court Protocol to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds intended for social protection.
“The issue is whether the government has discharged its obligations under applicable human-rights treaties to safeguard resources allocated for social protection, investigate documented financial irregularities, provide effective remedies and ensure that those resources are applied for their intended purposes,” it stated.
The organisation also cited the constitutional responsibility of the Auditor-General to audit and report on the public accounts of the Federation and the offices and agencies of the Federal Government, describing the findings in the annual report as important official records of public expenditure.
It relied on Articles 1 and 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arguing that the government had obligations to give effect to protected rights and ensure that failures in administering social-protection programmes did not result in discriminatory exclusion or unequal access to benefits.
“The Nigerian government has the obligation to take effective measures to prevent and address corruption and related misuse of public resources. The government has failed to take appropriate measures in response to the allegations made by the Auditor-General”, the statement added.
SERAP said it had previously urged President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities to account for the questioned funds, publish audit records, investigate irregular expenditures, recover any funds unlawfully spent or diverted and take appropriate action against those responsible.
Following the publication of the Auditor-General’s report, the organisation issued a public statement and sent a letter dated September 5, 2026, requesting action on the findings. It also sought payment and beneficiary records, verification documents and an explanation for the missing REMITA records.
“The deadline given to the government to address the Auditor-General’s findings had elapsed without adequate action,” it stated.
The organisation further cited Articles 1 and 21 of the African Charter, alongside Article 9 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, as requiring effective measures to protect rights and resources, promote transparent public financial management, investigate irregularities and recover public funds where losses or improper expenditure were established.
SERAP also relied on the works of legal scholar Kolawole Olaniyan, including Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa, published by Hart Publishing in 2014, and Ownership of Proceeds of Corruption in International Law, published by Oxford University Press in 2023. It said the publications provided persuasive academic authority on corruption’s effects on human rights, public resources, accountability and international legal remedies.
“SERAP accordingly submits that the Auditor-General’s findings cannot be treated merely as administrative irregularities where public funds allocated for social protection may have been lost, improperly spent or left unaccounted for, and the government fails to take effective corrective action,” the statement added.
SERAP is asking the court to direct the government to conduct an independent, prompt and effective investigation into the identified irregularities, recover public funds improperly spent, diverted or lost where established, and take appropriate legal or administrative action against those found responsible, in accordance with due process.
It also wants the government to strengthen financial accountability, beneficiary verification, auditing, reconciliation and oversight mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of the alleged irregularities and ensure that eligible vulnerable households receive their intended benefits.
The organisation is further seeking an order restraining the government from administering or disbursing cash-transfer and social-protection funds without adequate accountability and oversight mechanisms, as well as appropriate remedies for any established adverse effects on beneficiaries’ protected rights.
No date has, however, been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
The intervention covers 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education, with universities receiving the largest share of the allocation.
The Federal Ministry of Finance disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Head of Media, Efe Ovuakporie, explaining that the funds would support approved projects in beneficiary institutions.
The statement read, “The Federal Government has disbursed N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund.”
According to the ministry, the university component accounts for N28.5bn, while N5.8bn has been allocated to polytechnics and N4.7bn to colleges of education.
According to the ministry, the university component accounts for N28.5bn, while N5.8bn has been allocated to polytechnics and N4.7bn to colleges of education.
An analysis of the allocations by PUNCH Online showed that universities would receive approximately 73.2 per cent of the announced N38.93bn intervention, making them the largest beneficiaries.
Polytechnics would account for about 14.9 per cent, while colleges of education would receive approximately 12.1 per cent.
The ministry explained that the intervention was intended to address longstanding infrastructure challenges in public tertiary institutions and support the implementation of agreements reached between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
It stated, “The intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the needs of public universities and support the implementation of agreed measures under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.”
The Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund is designed to support improvements in institutional infrastructure and other identified needs, particularly in public universities, where inadequate facilities have remained a recurring concern in negotiations between the government and academic unions.
The ministry said the latest disbursement would enable beneficiary institutions to begin new projects or continue previously approved interventions aimed at improving their operational capacity.
“The funds are expected to enable beneficiary institutions to commence or advance approved projects addressing critical infrastructure and other identified institutional needs, with the overall objective of strengthening the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria,” it added.
The government also emphasised the need for coordination among the Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Education and beneficiary institutions to ensure that the released funds produced measurable improvements.
It noted that effective collaboration would be necessary to translate the financial intervention into improved infrastructure, institutional capacity and learning conditions.
The Bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Universities of Agriculture Act, Cap. F22, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024” was sponsored by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo representing Rivers West Senatorial District.
The bill seeks to amend the existing Federal Universities of Agriculture Act to provide for the establishment of the proposed institution in Emughan community in Rivers State.
The passage of the bill by the Senate marks a significant legislative milestone towards the establishment of the proposed university.
When established, the institution is expected to expand access to higher education, promote agricultural research and innovation, develop skilled manpower, and contribute to the economic growth of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.
According to a statement made available to The Tide, the bill, having passed the Third Reading in the Senate, will now proceed to the House of Representatives for concurrence as part of the legislative process towards its enactment into law.
The bill underscores Senator Banigo’s commitment to advancing educational opportunities and strengthening agricultural development in Rivers State.
By: Kevin Nengia
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