Court orders release of Jonathan’s ex-ADC from EFCC custody

Colonel Ojogbene Adegbe

A Federal High Court in Abuja says the detention of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s ADC by the EFCC without trial is unlawful and that he should be released immediately.
According to trial judge, Yusuf Halilu, the EFCC is a statutory government agency set up to save the country from corrupt practices and not to serve as a holding prison for the Nigerian Army under which Colonel Adegbe is still serving.
Justice Halilu ordered the EFCC to release him immediately until it is ready to arraign him before a competent court of jurisdiction.

Justice Halilu, however, struck out two other reliefs sought by Colonel Adegbe asking the EFCC to apologize and pay him 100 million Naira in damages on the grounds that Colonel Adegbe is a serving officer in the Nigerian Army.
Counsel to the former ADC, Mr Ogwu Onoja, had approached the Federal High Court to enforce the fundamental human rights of his client whom he said was still in detention with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since his arrest two weeks earlier.

Meanwhile, the EFCC filed a 19-page counter affidavit urging the court to dismiss the application, as the applicant’s detention was at the instance of his employer.
Counsel to the applicant however insisted that the fundamental human rights of his client had been violated, irrespective of who he was in their custody.