BY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN-AN Oyo State High Court,  yesterday ordered immediate stoppage of the payment of severance  benefits to  the out-going Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and other political appointees in Oyo State, even as the Code of Conduct Bureau stormed the state for verification of the governor’s assets and that of principal officials who served in his administration.

The order followed the prayers of 11 retired judges that the court should stop Akala and his political appointees from paying themselves severance gratuities  that have not been paid to the retired judges despite the order of the court.

The retired judges who instituted the suit against the out-going governor, prayed the court to disallow the PDP led-government from paying its officials “until the governor pays the retired judges as ordered by the court.”

The governor, has since, appealed against the judgment of the court which ordered him to pay the retired judges.

Applicants in the recent case are Nurudeen Adekola, Olayiwola Adio, Ruth Oyetunde, Afolabi Adeniran, Olagoke Ige, Karimu Jimoh, Lambe Arasi, Akin Sanda, Atilade Ojo, Simon Akintola and Theophilus Adeniran (deceased).

The ex-judges asked the court to “restrain the defendants from paying Alao-Akala, Olayiwola Olakojo, the Secretary to the State Government and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ladi AbduSalami and other political appointees.”

The court said “the government must not pay ‘severance gratuities or any other terminal allowances until the claimants are paid their respective severance gratuities as retired judicial office holders”.

Also, the court barred the Head of Service and the Accountant-General from “facilitating or releasing funds for payment of the severance packages of the political office holders until the retired judicial officers are paid”.

Justice Eni Esan fixed June 23 for moving the motion on notice.

Code of conduct storms Oyo

Meanwhile, the Code of Conduct Bureau yesterday stormed the state for verification of Governor Akala’s assets as well as that of principal officials of his administration.

Those who would also have their assets verified are his deputy, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja, Secretary to the State government, Chief Olayiwola Lakojo, Special Advisers and commissioners.

Speaking with newsmen over the exercise, Dr. Ademola Adebo, a federal commissioner with the bureau, said he would still visit other South West states including Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti States.

He explained that the verification exercise embarked upon by the bureau was informed by the need to checkmate corruption which, he said,  had eaten deep into the fabric of the country.

Adebo said, “Corruption in Nigeria has become a rampaging Tsunami, destroying infrastructures; denying us good education and health facilities. It is of utmost important that we come together in a concerted effort to combat it”.

According to him, “the bureau is the only anti-corruption agency saddled with the responsibility of receiving and carrying out comprehensive investigation of the particulars of declarations and enforce compliance with the code of conduct for public officers listed in the constitution.”