Section 6: Restrictions.

(1) A Commissioner shall not investigate any matter-
(a) that is clearly outside his terms of reference;
(b) that is pending before the National Assembly, the Council of State or the President;
(c) that is pending before any court of law in Nigeria;
(d) relating to anything done or purported to be done in respect of any member of the armed forces in Nigeria or the Nigeria Police Force under the Armed Forces Act, or the Police Act, as the case may be;
(e) in which the complainant has not, in the opinion of the Commissioner, exhausted all available legal or administrative procedures;
(f) relating to any act or thing done before 29 July 1975 or in respect of which the complaint is lodged later than twelve months after the date of the act or thing done from which the complaint arose;
(g) in which the complainant has no personal interest.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section, a notice signed by the Secretary to the Federal Government and addressed to the Commissioner, certifying that any matter is pending before any of the bodies mentioned in that paragraph, shall be conclusive as to the pendency of the matter.
(3) In every case where a Commissioner decides not to investigate a complaint he shall state the reason therefore.