Eight suspended lawmakers from the Zamfara State House of Assembly have taken legal action against Speaker Bilyaminu Moriki and six others at the Federal High Court in Gusau. They filed a suit challenging the violation of their constitutional rights, including liberty, fair hearing, and property possession without due process.
The suit targets seven respondents, including the State’s Attorney General, Commissioner for Justice, Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Clerk of the House, State Commissioner of Police, and Director of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Justice Aminu Bappa presided over the case and granted a motion to adjourn it to April 29 for hearing, allowing time to serve the respondents who had not been served.
The council to the suspended lawmakers, Ibrahim Ali, expressed the need for a hearing date to properly serve the remaining respondents. The lawmakers allege that the Speaker, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, is attempting to arrest and prosecute them for participating in a plenary session on February 22, which the Assembly's leadership deemed unlawful.
Previously, the State House of Assembly, under the Speaker's leadership, suspended the eight lawmakers for alleged violations of Assembly laws and the constitution during that session.
