Reps threaten to arrest presidential panel members

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the legality of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP) on Thursday threatened to arrest members of the panel if they fail to appear before the committee on May 8, 2018.

The threat was issued by the ad hoc committee sequel to the repeated failure of the chairman and other members of the presidential panel to appear before the House committee.

Chairman of SPIP, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla and the Secretary, Mr. Akinbola Adeniran have repeatedly failed to honour the committee’s summons since it began a public hearing on April 19 to probe the legality and modus operandi of the presidential panel.

Similarly, other members of the panel, Alhaji Salihu Abubakar, Mr. Obinna Ogwuegbu and Monday Agbonika have been absent in all the sessions held by the ad hoc committee.

Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Ahman Pategi, in issuing the arrest threat described as an affront the failure of the members of presidential panel to honour repeated invitations by the committee.

Earlier, a member of the committee, Rep. Toby Okechukwu, while moving a motion to summon the panel members, said that it was the constitutional role of the legislature to oversight the executive.

Rep. Okechukwu, however commended the offices of the Auditor-General of the Federation and Secretary to the Government of the Federation for honouring the ad hoc committee’s invitation.

“Following this continuous refusal to appear before this committee, I move that you invoke the relevant provisions of Section 89 of the 1999 Constitution and summon the chairman and other members of the panel.

“They are to appear here on May 8, 2018, unfailingly, without which we shall exercise our responsibility to issue a warrant of arrest for them to appear,’’ Okechukwu said.

Earlier, the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Ayine revealed that there was no audit report of the financial activities of the panel since its inception in 2017.

On his part, Mr. Emmanuel Akisa, the legal adviser to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said that the panel was set up as a special entity to cure some existing defects.

“This includes where a public officer and private citizen is engaged in corrupt practices or unjustly enriched himself.

“This is with the sole aim of recovering stolen public property,” Akisa said.