A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that the passport of a former governor of Rivers State Peter Odili being held by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) be released within five days.
Justice Inyang Ekwo handed out the order on Tuesday as a condition for the hearing of an application filed by the NIS and its comptroller general, Idris Jere.
The NIS, through its counsel Ibrahim Etsu, had applied for a stay of the court’s October 18, 2021 judgement for it to release Mr Odili’s passport and offer him a written apology.
The judge adjourned till January 13 for the hearing of the application.
Odili had earlier this year sued the NIS and its comptroller general, accusing them of unlawfully impounding his passport.
The NIS said it seized the ex-governor’s passport on the behest of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which is investigating him over alleged fraud.
However, Justice Ekwo ruled that the NIS breached Odili’s rights by impounding his passport without an order of court empowering them to act so.
