The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two others to pay N17m damages to Adewale Adeniyi for unlawfully detaining him. The court, which was presided over by Justice Mohammed Yunusa, ruled on a fundamental rights enforcement suit by Adeniyi, an administrative manager with Rana Prestige Industries Nigeria Limited, to challenge the breach of his right.
The judgment debt will be jointly paid by the EFCC and Adeniyi’s employers, Mrs. Rachadatou Abdou and Mrs. Alice Bulus who were also joined as respondents in the suit. In his judgement, the judge described the action of the EFCC as an abuse of power, saying that the detention of the applicant for more than 48 hours by the EFCC is unlawful.
The court noted that Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution as amended was put in place to “prevent security agencies from misusing their powers over citizens, whose rights they are meant to protect.”
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