Tony Iju’s NECOM deceived court into obtaining factional BoT ruling – Registered BoT Counsel

The counsel representing the Board of Trustees (BoT), of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Barrister Olu Daramola SAN, has said that the suspended National Executive Committee (NECOM) led by Tony lju Nwabunike deceived an Abeokuta High Court into obtaining an injunction that allows it to act as BoT infinitum, noting that their behavior is tantamount to perjury.

Daramola, who spoke in a telephone conversation however said that he has the mandate of the registered BoT led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha to approach a court of competent jurisdiction to vacate the black-market injunction and also get the court to decide on the final fate of the controversial NECOM.

Speaking against the backdrop of a purported court annulment of the existence of the registered BoT, Daramola faulted the claim that the ruling of the Federal High Court in Lagos favoured NECOM against the BoT, stating that the Board is still in existence and its authority remains valid.

“Section 26 of the ANLCA Constitution says that anybody that wants to go to court must first explore arbitration to see if the issues can be settled amicably. As the BoT legal representative, we were mindful of that section and we told the court we would want to explore that, which the judge in his wisdom granted.

“Invariably if we cannot settle, we will go back to court and say we tried but couldn’t settle. So, when l saw the flimsy and uninformed write up that the BoT had been asked to step aside, l laughed, it was not. The BoT is still in existence and its end was not an issue at the court.

“There is no such thing as the BoT case having come to an end, it has not. Sadly, the other party is not ready for any settlement, judging by the kangaroo injunction they went to Abeokuta to get. They went to Abeokuta and lied that they are the BoT , they lied and deceived the court, they lied on oath that all members of the BoT were in the court; based on which the court gave a judgment that they should continue acting as BoT.

“These are people who cannot register with CAC given the prevailing circumstances. They deceived the Abeokuta judge and refused to tell the court that the BoT case, the dispute of the BoT, is subsisting in a Lagos High Court. So essentially, the court granted the order as a result of deceit by those who approached it. That was a fraudulent misrepresentation of facts. We will set aside that judgment as soon as the facts are known to the court.”

In addition, Daramola explained that his client went to court earlier this week because the other party was challenging its registration at the CAC. He narrated the sordid lies allegedly told by Henry Njoku and members of the suspended NECOM at the CAC in alleged attempt to fraudulently withdraw and obfuscate the BoT registration duly carried out in 2020 by Mustapha’s led BoT.

“This current suit was instituted because the other party was trying to challenge the BoT registration which was done at CAC. Earlier, they went for a kangaroo meeting with CAC where they lied and deceived the CAC that those of them there were all the parties involved in the case, and as a result, that CAC should allow them write a letter to withdraw the certificate.

“Later, the authentic members of the BoT went to court to nullify that process. It is a cardinal principle in law that in any dispute and discussion, all the parties must be heard. So, it was illegal for some people to have gone to CAC without giving members of the board any notice. So, the CAC acting on that deceit wrote a letter to say the certificate has been withdrawn.

“We went there and said no, we did not withdraw our registration, and we proceeded to the court to invalidate the kangaroo meeting and agreement they had with the CAC,” he said.