Mrs. Ibru instituted the suit through her lawyer, Dr. Ted Iseghohi-Edwards, on behalf of herself and the Ibru Group against the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), over an alleged breach by the Federal Government in the implementation of the terms of agreement she entered as part of her plea bargain in 2010.

imageIn the suit, Mrs. Ibru is asking the court to make a declaration that the plea bargain and settlement agreement she entered with the Federal Government in 2010 is a valid and enforceable agreement between the parties and more particularly valid against the Federal Government or any of it’s organs, including, but not limited to AMCON and to declare that the stripping of the assets and the subsequent sale of Oceanic Bank International Plc was not part of the plea bargain and settlement agreement, which she signed with the Federal Government and to declare the sale of the defunct bank a sham, misconceived, mischievous and of no legal consequence.
Furthermore, the plaintiff urged the court to also declare that Aero Contractors Nigeria Limited was also not on the list of assets she forfeited to the Federal Government as part of her plea bargain and asked the court to declare that any attempt by AMCON to take over the airline or its assets as ultra vires and of no legal consequence.
At the root of the suit filed by the former chief executive officer of the defunct bank is a recent exparte order obtained from a Federal High Court in Lagos last November by AMCON against a private company, Sidochem Industries Limited, and the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Edgar Sido and two others over a loan of N433.5 million owed the defunct bank, which AMCON acquired.
AMCON had approached the Federal High Court in Lagos where it complained that the debtor company and its managing director who personally guaranteed the loans granted to the company by the defunct bank, had refused to resolve their indebtedness to the corporation and have been taking steps to frustrate every step taken by AMCON to recover the said debt by using every manner of tricks to evade payment.
The corporation thereby sought for an order of the court empowering it to take immediate possession of the assets and properties of the company covered in the deed of all assets debenture created by the company in favour of Oceanic Bank as well as the freezing of all accounts operated by the company in 19 commercial banks the country. The trial judge, Justice Idris, granted the orders as requested by AMCON.
However, Sidochem Industries Limited and its owners are crying foul over the order secured by AMCON against it. They claim that the debt they owe the defunct bank was among the matters resolved in the plea bargain judgment in Dr. Cecilia Ibru’s case.
In support of the company’s claim are two deeds of ratification donated by both Sidochem Industries and Mr. Edgar Sido whereby they wholly transferred and released all of its rights, interests and estate in the assets forfeited to AMCON by Ibru as part of her plea bargain.
Iseghohi-Edwards pointed out that AMCON, which was well represented by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in her plea bargain agreement and which is the sole beneficiary of all the properties she forfeited had gone ahead to seal off an expanse of rental property completely unrelated to Sidochem’s business on the strength of the exparte order it obtained from the Lagos court.
He argued that AMCON did not disclose material facts to the court in Lagos as regards its consent to the plea bargain and settlement agreement where Mrs. Ibru, representing herself, the Ibru Group and others forfeited properties listed under the forfeited assets part of the plea bargain.
Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed has adjourned to July 10, 2014 for further hearing of the suit.