The House of Representatives, during its plenary on Tuesday, adopted a petition submitted by the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR). The petition seeks an investigation into the alleged contempt and violation of Nigeria’s judicial sovereignty by officials of the British Government and their investigative agencies, including the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and an investigator/prosecutor named Sara Melo. These foreign agencies are accused of undermining the judicial sovereignty and disregarding court judgments that exonerated African businessman and Aiteo Group Chairman, Benedict Peters, of any wrongdoing.
The petition calls for a comprehensive legislative investigation into the ongoing efforts to defame and undermine Mr. Benedict Peters, as well as to put an end to the abuse of Nigeria’s judicial sovereignty and the disregard for court judgments. The group behind the petition, represented by Rt. Hon. Aliyu Mustapha, a member of the House of Representatives, seeks to address the unjust treatment of Nigerian citizens and the undermining of judicial pronouncements.
The petition outlines the history of the case, which began in 2015 when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) initiated an investigation into the activities of Mr. Benedict Peters and his company, AITEO Energy Resources. The EFCC, unable to find any wrongdoing, allegedly collaborated with the National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service in the UK to harass, intimidate, and unlawfully seize Mr. Peters’ properties, including houses in the UK and the OML 29 acquired from Shell Petroleum Development Company.
Despite being declared wanted by the EFCC, Mr. Peters appeared before at least ten courts, all of which cleared him of any wrongdoing and vindicated him. Notably, the FCT High Court found the defendants, including EFCC, NCA, CPS, and their officials, liable for carousel fraud and awarded damages in favor of Mr. Peters and his companies. The judgments were also ordered to be served, registered, and enforced in various countries, including the United Kingdom.
The petition emphasizes the continuous disregard for these court judgments by British agencies, particularly Sara Melo, prompting the call for parliamentary action to protect the sanctity of judicial pronouncements and the rights of Nigerian citizens