The Speaker, Nasarawa state House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, Saturday, said the house would appeal the judgement nullifying the indictment of the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Aliyu Ahmed Tijani, over alleged N248.5 million unaccounted funds for school projects in the state.
Abdullahi made this known while addressing Journalists in Lafia over a High Court judgement that nullified the indictment of the former SSG by the House.
The speaker said the House has confidence in the Court of Appeal and would get the right judgement.
“I have directed our counsels to study the judgement and we will appeal the judgement, and I assured you we will get good judgment at the higher level,this is just a court of first instance, so we will go to the higher ladder,” he said.
On June 2, 2020, the state House of Assembly ad-hoc committee investigating the release of N1 billion for the renovation of public secondary schools in the state in 2018, had indicted the former SSG, and asked him to refund over N248.5 million as unaccounted funds to the state government.
Tijani challenged the decision of the House over its recommendation that led to his sack by governor Abdullahi Sule.
Delivering a ruling in Akwanga High Court, Justice Mustapha Ramat, on August 7 ,2020 nullified the decision of the house on the grounds that it failed to afford the former SSG fair hearing in the matter.
According to the Speaker, “To some of us we are not surprised over the court judgement, we don’t expect anything less than the High Court Judgement delivered yesterday (Friday).
“For us as members of the House, we have monitored the events in Akwanga right from the beginning to yesterday and how can the judge said that we did not gave the former SSG fair hearing on the matter.
“Some of you the journalists were present when we invited the former SSG to the plenary over the issue, he promised that he will take all responsibilities for his actions.
“And from that, I have also set up a committee to investigate the matter in which they have invited him and he have also promised again that he will take responsibility of any infraction.”
He however, called on the people of the state to remain calm and be law abiding over the issue.
