By Samson Adeyanju
The Court of Appeal, Makurdi Division, has overturned a Benue High Court ruling that dismissed former Governor Samuel Ortom’s case against the probe panels established by Governor Hyacinth Alia.
Governor Alia had set up panels to investigate state finances and assets under Ortom’s administration from 2015 to 2023.
Ortom challenged the legality of the probes, arguing that the state’s Auditor General had already reviewed the accounts and submitted findings to the State Assembly.
He also claimed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was already handling similar investigations, making Alia’s probes a case of double jeopardy.
After the High Court dismissed the suit for being filed late, Ortom’s legal team, led by Oba Maduabuchi, SAN, appealed, asserting that the Public Officers Protection Law cited in the lower court’s ruling was inapplicable to judicial reviews.
The Appeal Court, led by Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, unanimously set aside the High Court’s decision, directing the Benue Chief Judge to reassign the case for proper hearing.
