A High Court in Kano, northern Nigeria, on Monday upheld its earlier order halting the state House of Assembly Investigative Committee from investigating the bribery allegation against Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje.

The court also ordered all other parties involved in the investigation of the bribery allegation to maintain status quo ante, pending the determination of the originating summon.

NAN reports that the originating summon was filed by Mr Mohammed Zubair, the National Coordinator of Lawyers for Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria.

When the case came up for hearing, counsel to the plaintiff, Kalid Abdullatif, said that going by Order 29, Rule 1 and Order 28, Rule 1 and 4 of the Rules of the Court, 2014, the application filed on behalf of the plaintiff on Nov. 5, restraining the defendants, Kano state House of Assembly, Baffa Babba Danagundi and the state Attorney-General from further investigation of the bribery allegation, still subsist.

“The application still remains an Order of interlocutory injunction, restraining the defendants, either by themselves, agents, privies, or officials, or other persons, whosoever, from further inviting anybody, questioning, examining, making any further Press Releases, releasing or playing any further video tapes, investigation or further proceedings, with the, or any bribery allegation against Gov. Ganduje, or anybody, whatsoever, therewith, pending the determination of the substantive suit before this Honourable Court, “he said.

He further argued that the act of the defendants to have constituted a Committee to investigate the bribery allegation against Governor Ganduje remains, “unconstitutional.”

However, counsel to the Kano state House of Assembly (first defendant) and Investigative Committee Chairman, Hon. Baffa Babba Dan Agundi (second defendant), Mohammed Waziri, described his clients as law-abiding citizens who would not breach the law in any way.

“I wish to state that the First and Second defendants are law-makers and law-abiding citizens. The Order came a day to the date slated to listen to witnesses at the Investigative Panel.

“Since then, no step has been taken by the state House of Assembly or the Investigative Committee to breach the law. “This is to tell you that Kano state House of Assembly is law-abiding.

“The Assembly has no intention whatsoever to take any further steps until the subsisting matter is decided upon because constitutional issues are being raised.”

The Third Defendant who is also the state Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, aIbrahim Muktar did not object to the prayers of counsel to the plaintiff.

In his ruling, the presiding Judge, Justice Ahmed Badamasi, ordered all the parties involved in the case to maintain the status quo ante, pending the determination of the Originating summon.

Badamasi commended counsel to the defendants for advising his clients wisely and adjourned the case to Nov. 21, for hearing of the originating motion on summon. (NAN)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Monday it had inked an agreement with Pan African Financial Institution Ecobank to empower communities to cope with disasters more efficiently.

Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, IFRC’s regional director for Africa, said there was need to address the underlying causes of this vulnerability, including lack of funding to equip communities with required systems and skills.

“Many innocent lives continue to be lost in Africa simply as a result of insufficient investment in disaster preparedness.

“Many of the natural hazards that take place do not need to become major disasters when a population is prepared and able to respond adequately,” Nafo-Traore said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

She said the charity would work with the Ecobank Academy, a pan-African corporate university based in Togo in training of IFRC’s staff members, who will participate in a number of customised programmes to enhance their management skills.

Under the agreement Ecobank employees will also be given the opportunity to attend First Aid training sessions, enabling them to save lives during every day emergencies and disasters.

According to IFRC, the growing gap between funds needed by humanitarian groups and funds available to them is a major cause of communities’ vulnerability to disasters.

“It is on this account that Ecobank is partnering with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Africa to secure resources for their local first aid volunteers,” said the charity.

It said the first project is already being rolled out in Ghana where Ecobank is launching a digital public fundraising campaign.

“A unique QR code (a type of bar code used to access information through your mobile phone) has been created and displayed in branches, making donating easy and immediate,” IFRC said.

Xinhua/NAN