Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Official documents at the disposal of this newspaper have proved that the payment for the Utan BRAMA victims case was made in the year 2026 during the time of Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN as the Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.
Dated October 20, 2015, the letter with Reference Number MJ/CIV/ABJ/34/12 and signed by Taiwo Abiodun Esq, the Director of Civil Litigations and Public Law on behalf of the Solicitor-General of the Federation listed the lawyers that handled the matter on behalf of the Judgement Creditors (Utan BRAMA Victims) as Joe Agi, G.A Udousoro, Chief Afe Babalola and Barrister Akwagwu
The letter from the Solicitor-General of the Federation which stated that the amount paid pursuant to the said judgment was N350million with agreement of parties in full and initial settlement of the judgement sum didn’t at any point mention Chief Aondoakaa’s law firm, Prime Juris, as one of the law chambers that handled the Utan BRAMA Victims case.
Part of the Solicitor-General’s letter also stated that “Between 17/7/2007 and 10/2/2010, no payments were made with respect of the judgement.
“Between 17/7/2007 and 10/2/2010, G A Udousoro requested for the payment of interest on the judgement sum. No payment was made hence garnishee proceedings were initiated. Till date, garnishee proceedings in respect of the claim for interest is still pending at the Federal High Court sitting at Uyo.
“The request was not approved. The following firm of solicitors have also requested for payment on behalf of the Utan BRAMA Victims at various times, namely; Ebokpo solicitors and associates, E. Ekong Bassey and associates, Rotimi Ojo and co, Seyi Sowemimo and co, Fisho law firm, Essein H. Andrew and co, and S.U Udah and associates”
Recall that a former Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN was accused that he was a lawyer to Utan BRAMA community when the case was tried at the Federal High Court Uyo in 1996 and also that when he became AGF in 2007, he paid the people of Utan BRAMA community and shared money with them and started favouring a particular leader in the community.
However, the case was heard in his absence during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan and that was when he was in Rome for an international event as a member of UNIDROIT.
Eventually, the case file with which Chief Aondoakaa was tried didn’t surface until the administration of Late Muhammadu Buhari came in place when the former AGF wrote and demanded it under the Freedom Of Information Act, and the file surfaced.
It was after the case file was discovered that it became clear that the payment to Utan BRAMA community victims was made before Chief Kaase Aondoakaa became the Attorney General of the Federation.
The discovery of the case file also showed that the former AGF was not directly or indirectly involved in the case and payments of money to victims of Utan BRAMA community as alleged during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
This newspaper also gathered that there was an attempt for interest when Kaase Aondoakaa was the Minister for Justice but he declined, stressing that the matter had been closed before he came in.
“How can you say that a man who assumed duty in 2007 was the one who paid and shared money with Utan BRAMA community in 2006 even when it’s clear that Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN was the AGF then. We have our records here that no money was paid to Utan BRAMA community throughout the administration of Late President Yar’Adua” a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Justice said during a funding by this newspaper.