Buhari Govt Orders CJN Onnoghen To Vacate Office

The Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), to immediately vacate office.

Naija News learned that the government will on Monday, January 14, 2019, arraign Justice Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on charges of failures to declare his assets as required by law and for operating Bank Domiciliary Foreign Currency Accounts.

According to PRNigeria, the charges against the CJN has already been filed and served on him last Friday at his official residence in the Federal Capital Territory preparatory for his appearance at the tribunal.

The Federal Government among others is accusing Justice Onnoghen of refusal to declare his assets in breach of the provision of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act.

Similarly, the CJN is being accused of maintaining domiciliary foreign currencies account which comprises Dollars Account, Pound Sterling Account and Euro Account which is alleged to be contrary to relevant laws, especially for public office holders.

Meanwhile, Justice Onnoghen, whose appointment suffered delay by the Buhari led administration over undisclosed issues, maybe the first CJN in the country to be arraigned for criminal charges by the Federal Government.

Naija News gathered that motion on notice is to be filed against the CJN praying the tribunal to order him to vacate office and recuse himself from office so as to prevent alleged interference in his arraignment and trial.

Reports have it that the Federal Government has engaged the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to prosecute Justice Onnoghen.

Meanwhile, the CJN will appear in the dock on Monday before the Justice Danladi Yakubu led-Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja.