The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has released the former aide-de-camp to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, to the Nigerian Army authorities, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
Adegbe’s release comes barely 48 hours after he sued the EFCC for N100m in damages for his ‘unlawful detention’.
In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, his counsel, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), urged the court to declare that his client’s arrest and continued detention by the EFCC since February 11 was unconstitutional and violated his right to personal liberty guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
He urged the court to make an order directing the EFCC to immediately release the applicant from unlawful detention.
Onoja argued that the arrest and detention of Adegbe by the EFCC violated his right to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed by Section 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
The applicant’s counsel contended that the EFCC’s action violated Articles 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In its response, the EFCC said the ex-ADC was being held on the instructions of the Nigerian Army.
The judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, had fixed the ruling for March 1.
Adegbe was on a promotional course in the United Kingdom before he was summoned to Nigeria by the army authorities and handed over to the EFCC on February 11.
He is being held by the commission for his alleged role in the distribution of over N10bn to delegates to the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party in December 2014, which produced Jonathan as the party’s standard-bearer.
When contacted on the telephone, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, promised to find out if Adegbe had been released.
However, he had yet to do so as of press time
When one of our correspondents contacted the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, he said he was not aware of the development.
“I am not aware,” he said.
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