The melancholy of the dying days of the Obasanjo administration seems to have caught up with the FCT Minister, Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai. This was visibly displayed by the minister last Thursday, when he threatened to sue Daily Trust over a question asked by the newspaper's reporter on the continuous violation of court orders by the FCT Administration (FCTA).

Venue was the National Press Center, Radio House, Garki, Abuja, where the minister in the presidency and chairman of FCTA held a special press conference, probably his last as FCT minister.

During the question and answer session, a Daily Trust reporter had asked the minister why the FCTA continuously flouts court

injunctions restraining it from forcefully ejecting civil servants from their official residences, which have been sold under the sale of federal government houses.

Same day el-Rufai's press conference was holding, retirees of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] were forcefully ejected from their staff housing estate in Garki 11, Abuja, in spite of a court injunction restraining FCTA from doing so.

A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided by Justice J. I. Chikere, in respect of a suit No. FHC/ ABJ/CS/431/06, filed by 10 retirees of the NNPC against the NNPC, FCDA, and the FCT Minister, had issued an interim order that "parties should maintain status quo pending the hearing of and determination of the motion on notice which have been served on the defendants since 21/11/2006."

In actual fact, the Legal Services Department of the FCTA, had written a letter, signed by Legal Officer II, Chukwuka J. Oliobi, dated 4th May, 2007 informing the Adhoc Committee on the Disposal of Federal Government Houses in Abuja, of "an interim order issued against the NNPC, the minister, and the FCDA in respect of case No. FHC/ABJ/CS/431/06 Balami Peter N. & 9 others Vs NNPC & 2 others."

Also, the Inspector General of Police, had in a letter to the FCT Commissioner of Police, ref CB: 7000/'B' DEPT/FHQ/ABJ/VOLT/251, dated 8th May, 2007, signed on behalf of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, by CP Donald O. Iroham, Commissioner of Police (FEDOPS), for further necessary action to be taken .

According to one of the retirees, they had complied with all the rules yet they later discovered that the houses were bidded for by others and have been allocated to them despite the court order.

Mrs Mary Oyanah-Sokai, whose properties were dumped outside the estate's entrance, told our reporter that the court ordered FCTA and NNPC to maintain status quo, "but they were not ready to listen to the court."

She said: "I was surprised that despite our appeal and documents that proved to them that we are on good side and court gave the ruling; in fact, even yesterday [Wednesday] we went to court but they ignored the order and we now don't know what to do"

It would also be recalled that on August 3, 2006, former Senate Minority Leader, Yushau Anka was forcefully ejected from his official residence at Apo Legislators' Quarters, Abuja by the FCTA despite a court order restraining them from doing so.

Again, in December 2006, a former director of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Mrs. Felicia Ogundipe, was ejected from her residence by the FCTA in violation of a court order restraining the authority from doing so pending the determination of a suit before the court.

Also, a former director of sports in the FCTA, Col. Boman Kacim rtd., was evicted from his residence at 2, Olomo close, Off Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Maitama, Abuja, in spite of a court injunction restraining his eviction.

However, in his reaction at the press conference, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, said that FCTA was approached by NNPC to sell its houses, in spite of the fact that the Corporation and the Central

Bank of Nigeria were actually exempted from the sale of federal government houses in the FCT.

The minister, who was visibly angry, lashed out at Daily Trust, saying: "that paper is fond of misreporting me anyway, I'm in court with them. You know, Daily Trust was the paper that said Justice Bashir Sambo, who died a couple of weeks ago, had a court order restraining us, but we had not, and we challenged them to publish the court order for everyone to see, and they couldn't."

"People like to say that they have court order, for you to have a court order, you have to be served, you can't bring a court order on the pages of newspapers, unless if you can't find me.

"The law says I must be served and if you can't serve me as a minister because I have security around me, there is what you call substituted service, you can go back to the court and say I can't serve this man and the court will allow you to publish the order in a newspaper that is circulating where I live.

"People think that when they take a case to court, government work will stop, if the court thinks you have a right that it ought to protect, the court will give an injunction, and that injunction will be served properly on me as FCT Minister.

"But you cant go round and accuse that for publishing in Daily Trust, that's nothing, there's a legal process that must be complied with and there is no court order served on me that I have ever violated, because if I do that I must be stopped, in 19 days from now it will be the court that will protect me, so I will be foolish if I try to disobey court order.

"But Daily Trust can go ahead and publish what they want and if you publish a lie, I'll take you to court, the same court you say I violate their order. Everything I've done in Abuja is based on the rule of law.

"You have to give me the due, you have to get that court order, if it exist and was served on me, otherwise you talk of disrespect, is a bunch of crap, so we don't do that.

"But I am the punching bag of Daily Trust, so publish what you want, after 19 days, you'll look for me but you won't see me," el-Rufai concluded, amidst a roar of laughter from the audience.

When contacted, a lawyer, Barrister Niyi Ayoola-Davies, said that any person who contravenes a court injunction is in contempt of court and a judge could issue a warrant of arrest of that person.

He said contempt of court is punishable by immediate imprisonment of the offender, if the judge so orders.