Bulkachuwa asks court to stop ICPC’s investigation, arrest

Forum 9 months ago

Bulkachuwa asks court to stop ICPC’s investigation, arrest

A former Senator representing Bauchi North Senatorial District, Muhammed Bulkachuwa, has approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to bar the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission from investigating and arresting him over the comments he made during the valedictory session of the ninth Senate.

Bulkachuwa had publicly stated during the session that he influenced the decision of his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa while she was serving as the President of the Court of Appeal.

Justice Bulkachuwa was the President of the Court of Appeal between 2014 and 2020 and retired from the court after reaching the mandatory age of 70.

The Attorney General of the Federation, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Department of State Services, the ICPC, and the Nigeria Police Force are respondents in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/895/2023.

Bulkachuwa is seeking the judicial interpretation of Section 1 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017, which confers immunity on him from any civil or criminal litigation in respect of any utterance he makes on the floor of the Senate in his capacity as a serving Senator.

He also asked the court to declare the ICPC’s invitation on the matter as illegal and oppressive.