Senator Stella Oduah

A Federal High Court sitting on Abuja has dismissed an application filed by a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, seeking to stop the Federal Government from investigating her for corruption.

Justice Adamu Kafarati ruled that the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Oduah was without merit and bereft of any cause of action.

The court upheld the objection raised by the respondents, arguing that the court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to hear the case.

Oduah, a serving Senator, had in the suit urged the court to declare the alleged plot by the respondents to arrest, investigate and prosecute her in relation to her activities in office as illegal.

She listed the Attorney General of Police (AGF), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are listed as respondents in the case.

In upholding the preliminary objection by the AGF and the IGP,  Justice Kafarati agreed that Oduah could not come under the fundamental rights procedure to seek the reliefs sought in the case.

The Judge said the subject matter of the case was not a fundamental rights issue as he agreed that Oduah cannot seek to restrain statutory bodies from performing their statutory responsibilities through a fundamental rights enforcement application.