Cultism: Tribunal frees LG boss

The Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja has absolved the Chairman of Biase Local Government Area  of  Cross River State, Lemke Inyang, of charges of being a member of a cult group while in office. The tribunal, in a ruling by a three-man panel, however came down hard on the Code of Conduct Bureau for conducting a shoddy investigation  into a  petition written against  Inyang.
In the lead ruling delivered by retired Justice Robert Odu and obtained by journalists on Wednesday, the CCT upheld Iyang’s no-case submission and held that the prosecution, the CCB failed entirely, to prove its case against the accused person.
In a charge sheet marked CCT/ABJ/02/12, Inyang, who was an  LGA boss in 2007, was accused of being a member of a society known as the National Association of Buccanneers.
The CCB, which brought the charge on behalf of the Federal Government, contended that Inyang’s alleged membership of the society was incompatible with the functions and dignity of his office.
The prosecution claimed that the action constituted an offence under section 14 of the CCB and Tribunal Act 2004 and punishable under section 23 of the Act.
During the trial which began on November 7, 2012, the prosecution called only one witness, Ikechukwu Iguela, of the Calabar office of the CCB.