A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting or detaining a senior advocate of Nigeria Mike Ozekhome over allegation he criticised a former acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu.
Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled that acts of intimidation and constant invitation, as well as threats to arrest, detain and humiliate Mr Ozekhome over his publications and speeches in relation to his criticism of the way the EFCC under Magu had handled the corruption fight, were unlawful.
Ozekhome had filed the fundamental human rights suit before the court.
Respondents in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/324/2018, were the EFCC, Magu and one of its operatives Abubakar Madaki.
Ozekhome had argued that the EFCC was harassing him for being a vocal critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war which was formerly led by Magu.
He added that the EFCC froze his bank account after he was paid his legal fees totalling N75million by the former governor of Ekiti State Ayo Fayose.
Ozekhome said the account from which the N75m was paid to him belonged to Fayose, who he said had not been convicted by any court to warrant labelling the money as proceed of crime.
He said it took the intervention of the Federal High Court in Lagos to unfreeze his bank account.
In a counter-argument, the EFCC said Ozekhome was being investigated for a lot of cases bordering on money laundering and tax evasion, based on intelligence report from the Nigeria Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU).
However, Justice Ekwo said he was satisfied that Ozekhome established a case of intimidation and harassment by the respondents.
