Abuja court returns Adeniyi Adeyemi rights suit for reassignment

A Federal High Court in Abuja has returned a fundamental rights suit filed by Adeniyi Adeyemi for reassignment. Adeyemi, who identifies as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is currently detained.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu declined to proceed with the hearing, noting that the 72-hour period granted to the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Attorney-General of the Federation to show cause had not yet expired. While Adeyemi’s counsel, Muhammad Abdulaziz, stated that all respondents had been served and the applicant was ready to proceed, the court registrar confirmed that the hearing notice had only been served recently.

In addition to the timing of the response period, Justice Egwuatu questioned the validity of the proof of service for the hearing notice, specifically whether it had been properly sworn before a commissioner for oaths. The judge directed the applicant to take further steps once the allotted period for the respondents to respond has elapsed.