Over the weekend, a team of armed robbers is reported to have charged the law firm of Wahab Olatoye, a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging President Jonathan’s eligibility in the 2015 general elections, Leadership newspaper reports.
Breaking in through the ceiling, the thieves allegedly robbed and ransacked the office, destroying computer systems and safes. Most critically, the robbers stole files containing vital court documents regarding the case.
Olatoye and a colleague had previously sought an order from a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from allowing President Jonathan and Vice President Sambo to re-contest. The plaintiffs argued that by the virtue of the Nigerian Constitution, the President and the Vice President were taken to have been elected for one single, four year term.
“It is really a great surprise to me, when I was called on Saturday morning that my office had been burgled by yet to be identified persons. It was my office alone that was burgled out of all the offices in the plaza. The thieves came in through the ceiling and ransacked all the files in my office.
“Although, they made away with some amount of money I left in the office, they also took away some documents, especially the ones I am using in pursuing my case against the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“As a plaintiff in the matter and a legal practitioner, there are some documents I need to hand over to my lawyers which I kept in the office. All my computer systems in the office were also destroyed, the office safe was also destroyed.
“The matter have been reported to the FCDA police station in Garki, and the police have promised to come around on Monday morning for further investigation,” Olatoye stated.
Olatoye and his colleague launched their suit against Jonathan on the provisions of sections 132(1), 135(2)(a) and (b), 137(1)(b), 142(1) and (2) of the Constitution and the Supreme Court decisions.
