Abuja Federal High Court Judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, has issued a restraining order against National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other related offences (NAPTIP), following letters served on Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, for interrogation over child trafficking related issues.
The Court also stopped the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, from giving effect to summons already issued to Fani-Kayode for interrogation over petitions filed against him by his estranged wife.
Adeola Adedipe, who stood as counsel to the former Minister, had complained bitterly that his client was still being summoned by NAPTIP and AGF in spite of pendency of a suit by Fani-Kayode instituted against them to challenge their powers of summoning him.
Adedipe argued that the two letters are unnecessary because parties have submitted themselves to court for adjudication and no party is expected to over-reach the other.
Meanwhile, Nancy Ukenna, counsel to NAPTIP, who justified the actions of her client in the matter, informed the judge that although there is a pending suit, there is no express order stopping her client from doing what it did.
The Judge who was furious at the move by NAPTIP to undermine court intervention in the matter said that no effort must be made to give effect to the two letters inviting Fani-Kayode for questioning in respect of the same subject matter pending before his court.
In a brief bench ruling, Justice Ekwo warned the Federal Government agency from taking any step that will foist a state of hopelessness on the court.
He categorically ordered NAPTIP and AGF to desist from undermining pendency of a suit in a law court and adjourned the matter to October 4 for hearing.