A human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has advised the federal government to immediately appeal the order of a British court, seizing Nigeria’s foreign assets to satisfy a $9 billion judgement debt.
In a press statement, titled “The recent British court order of seizure Nigeria’s foreign assets to satisfy a $9 billion judgement debt: The way out”, made available to newsmen yesterday, the senior advocate said the best option left to the federal government to halt the looming disaster of attaching her foreign assets to the tune of $9 billion is to immediately appeal the judgement and ask the court for stay of execution.
He said, “To allow execution of the judgement will plunge Nigeria’s already battered, pilfered and mismanaged economy into irreversible doldrums and recession of unimaginable proportions”.
Ozekhome said the minister of information, Lai Mohammed should not be taken serious when he boastfully asserted that Nigeria will not surrender any of her foreign assets. He said the information minister, ”
Easily and shockingly forgets that the UK is not Nigeria where court judgement orders are treated with disdain, levity, derision and violated with utmost impunity.
“The judgement creditors will not seek Nigeria’s permission to go after her foreign assets”, and added that they will not politely ask Nigeria to “surrender” her assets.
“They will simply use the available, tested and trusted legal option of garnishee proceedings, attach and all available and known Nigerian bank accounts, assets, monies, properties, etc, wherever they find them in the UK and in any part of the world.
“It is not a matter given to puerile lachrymal effusion, chest-beating, adventurous swashbuckling and grandstanding. It a matter of cold law and facts”, the senior lawyer added.
He, therefore, advised the federal government to hire experienced legal hands in the UK immediately to stem the impending disaster that will eclipse Nigerians without exception.
It will be recalled that a British court recently ordered the seizure of Nigeria’s foreign assets to satisfy a judgment debt.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
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