Ekiti guber poll: Detained pregnant woman, others accused of vote-buying slam N100m suit on EFCC

By Lukman Olabiyi

A pregnant woman, a nursing mother and five others arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over alleged vote-buying in Ekiti State, have slammed a N100 million suit on the commission and its Zonal Commander in Kwara State before the State High Court.

The applicants, in the suit: Abisola Modupe Rachael, Abioola Bisola Titilayo, Abisola Mary , Ibrahim Funbi , Ibrahim Dele , Ibidapo Adewale and Damilola Ojo, were all arrested and subsequently detained by the commission on June 18, during the last governorship poll in Ekiti State.

In the suit, which has the commission’s zonal commander, Micheal Nzekwe, as second respondent, the applicants accused the commission and Nzekwe of violating their fundamental rights by failing to charge them to court within 24 hours  or granting them administrative bail, pending their trial.

The applicants  alleged that  they had been kept in the respondents’ detention for more than eight days, particularly, at their office located at No. 1 Catchment close, off Forest Road, GRA, Ilorin Kwara State, within the radius of 40 kilometres of both the State High Court and the Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara state.

They also accused the zonal commander of the commission, Nzekwe, of frustrating all attempts by their lawyer to secure them administrative bail.

Among the reliefs sought by the applicants before the court are;” A declaration that the arrest of the applicants at Ereguru Street of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State and/or subsequent detention of the applicants on the instruction of the respondents by the agents or privies of the first and second Respondents at the commission’s custody within the radius of 40 kilometres of a court of competent jurisdiction since June 18, 2022, up-to-date and for more than one or two days without taking them to court or releasing them on administrative bail is unlawful, unconstitutional and constitutes flagrant violation of the applicants’ right to personal liberty.

The court is yet to fix a date for the hearing of the suit.