A Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mr. Joe Agi (SAN) has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of intervening in a civil matter outside the commission’s mandate, through the activities of its director of operations.
The letter of protest addressed to the Chairman of the ICPC, alleged that the director of operations may have overstepped his authority by intervening in a civil matter related to electricity reconnection at the Muhammadu Buhari Estate in Mbora District, Abuja.
In a letter signed by Oladimeji Ekengba, a lawyer in the law firm of Joe Agi, SAN, on behalf of Andy Chime, Agi called for an investigation into the ICPC Director’s involvement in a dispute concerning the management of the estate.
Andy Chime, a property developer is the managing director, Corpran International Limited (CIL) and the developer of Muhammadu Buhari Estate.
According to the letter, the issue revolves around a resident of the estate who allegedly failed to pay outstanding levies and a balance of N20 million for a property purchased at a discounted rate.
The law firm said despite these alleged arrears, the resident reportedly sought the ICPC’s intervention after his electricity supply was disconnected by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) following instructions from the estate’s association.
Chime claimed that the estate’s Landlords/Tenants’ Association followed proper procedures in managing security and maintenance, adding that the association had reportedly disconnected the resident’s electricity due to non-payment of maintenance fees, a matter typically handled by the AEDC.
The letter further described how ICPC officials, acting on instructions from their Director of Operations, arrived at the estate with police officers to reconnect the electricity.
Chime and other estate residents opposed the move, arguing that it fell outside the ICPC’s mandate, which is primarily focused on public sector corruption, not civil matters between private parties.
Tension reportedly escalated when ICPC officials attempted to arrest Chime, though they later left the scene after intervention from residents.
While the letter questioned the appropriateness of the ICPC’s involvement, it refrained from making definitive claims about the Director’s personal motivations, instead urging the ICPC leadership to examine the matter carefully and ensure that the commission’s resources are used strictly within its legal mandate.
At the time of writing this report at about 1.30pm Sunday, the ICPC was yet to publicly respond to the letter of protest.
However, according to the letter, the situation draws attention to the need for transparency and accountability within law enforcement agencies, with calls for clear guidelines to prevent any potential misuse of authority in matters beyond jurisdiction.
