Suit against EFCC, ex-LG boss, others for judgment June 29

By Lukman Olabiyi

Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, will on June 29, 2017, deliver judgment in the suit filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and six others over alleged unlawful arrest and infringement of fundamental rights of a lawyer, Chief Kenneth Chukwuemeka Ajoku.
The court had earlier fixed judgment for yesterday but due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice Buba, the court set the new date.
Others joined as respondents in the suit are former chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area, Kwara State, Hon. Abraham Ogunleye; a lawyer, Taiwo Kupolati, Folorunsho Sholanke, Jide Olayemi, Lolade Akinwunmi and Dr. Ishaku Danladi Msheliza.
In the suit, Ajoku alleged that he was unlawfully arrested, handcuffed and detained by operatives of the EFCC based on an alleged petition written by the other respondents over a brief he took from his client.
The applicant, who is also a property consultant, alleged that his client’s property was forcefully seized and confiscated without any court order and despite two valid and subsisting court judgments in his favour in respect of a property at Block 1, T Close, 3 Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos.
Among the prayers of Ajoku before the court were for a declaration that his arrest and detention by the EFCC on May 4, 2017, was illegal, unconstitutional and unlawful.
He also prayed the court to grant an order compelling the respondents severally and jointly to pay the sum of N300 million as general and exemplary damages for the threat to life and right, arrest, detention, harassment, embarrassment, forceful invasion and locking up of his office without cause or any order of court.
The respondents, however, denied all the allegations in their counter-affidavit to the suit.