Umahi, Abike Dabiri, Others Face Possible Senate Arrest Warrants

By Iyojo Ameh

Senator David Umahi, Minister of Works, and Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), along with other public officials, are at risk of facing arrest warrants from the Senate.

This follows their failure to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions regarding petitions lodged against their respective agencies.

The heads of other public bodies also under scrutiny include the Chief Executive Officers of Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, and Sally Best Properties Limited.

This situation came to a head last Wednesday when the committee’s Chairman, Senator Neda Imasuen (LP Edo South), raised the issue during a Senate session. He expressed concern that multiple invitations to the executives to address petitions filed by aggrieved Nigerians and corporate entities had gone unanswered.

Senator Imasuen moved a motion based on Order 42 of the Senate’s standing rules, urging the Senate to take action against the uncooperative officials. He argued that their refusal to respond to the committee’s calls undermines the Senate’s oversight function and denies petitioners a fair hearing.

In response to the motion, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, granted the committee permission to invoke its constitutional powers to issue arrest warrants.

“You already have the power as provided for by Section 89 of the 1999 Constitution. Please use it by issuing a warrant of arrest against any head of agencies refusing to appear before the public petition committee,” Akpabio said.

He emphasized the importance of compliance, noting that the presence of these individuals is vital for the resolution of the petitions, ensuring justice and fairness for all involved.

Following this Senate directive, Senator Imasuen announced on Sunday that fresh letters of invitation have been sent to the affected agencies, warning that failure to appear would trigger the issuance of arrest warrants. “Fresh letters of invitations have been sent to heads of the affected agencies, upon which warrant of arrest would be issued if any one of them fails to appear,” he said in a statement.

Additionally, Senator Imasuen revealed that the committee would address a specific petition filed by Mr. Onyebuchi Obioha. The petition concerns the withholding of his daughter’s results by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), allegedly due to a malicious report filed by an examination supervisor.