Chairman of the defunct
Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, has filed a suit
before the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Buhari government.
He is challenging his being
declared a wanted person for corruption allegations.
In the suit, marked
FHC/ABJ/CS/1174/2017, Maina said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, publication of his name and picture in a newspaper advertisement on
November 7, 2017, declaring him wanted, was a violation of his rights to
dignity of person.
Maina, added that the anti-graft
agency, the International Police, INTERPOL, and other respondents’ acts of
alleged intimidation, harassment, threats of arrest and detention flouted his
rights to personal liberty and fair hearing.
He asked the court to make an
order of mandatory injunction restraining the respondents from further making
such publication against him; award N500m as damages against the respondents’
previous acts and an order restraining the respondents from further intimidating,
harassing, arresting and detaining him.
Maina equally sought an order
directing the EFCC to apologise to him in three national dailies for its
newspaper advertisements declaring him wanted.
The respondents to the suit are
the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami
(SAN); the EFCC; the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; the
Commissioner of Police, Interpol and the Nigerian Immigration Service.
Maina’s lead counsel, O. J.
Onyemah, in the the suit, added that the respondents had “whimsically and
severally” threatened and violated Maina’s rights even when there was another
pending suit filed in 2016 by Maina and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/371/2016 to challenge
the respondents’ acts of intimidation.
Maina, through the affidavit
deposed to by a lawyer in his legal team, Mr. Mba Ogbudibia, and filed in
support of the suit, accused the EFCC of putting him on media trial.
The affidavit read in part,
“There is no warrant of arrest properly called in existence authorising the
respondents, particularly the 2nd respondent, to carry out newspaper
publication as stated above on which the respondents are basing their renewed
intimidation, harassment, threats of arrest and detention of the Applicant.
“By the order of the Chief
Magistrate Court, Abuja, dated 6/5/2016, the said magistrate decided with
finality that it lacks jurisdiction to issue any warrant of arrest against the
Applicant.
“The applicant has suffered
serious injury and irreparable damage as a result of the reckless indiscretion
and act of the Respondent complained herein.”
Part of the prayers Maina sought
in his suit were, “An order of injunction restraining the respondents jointly
and severally, whether by themselves, their officers, servants, agents or whosoever
described, acting on their behalves, from any or further acts of intimidation,
harassment, threats, unlawful arrest and detention of applicant or howsoever
interfering with the applicant’s personal liberty save in accordance with due
process of law.
“An order directing the 2nd
respondent (EFCC) to publish and/or make a public apology to the Applicant in
three national newspapers including the The Nation Newspaper for the reckless
and malicious use of the name and picture of the Applicant as a wanted person
for fraud contrary to Applicant’s human dignity and presumption of innocence
guaranteed by the CFRN 1999 (as amended).
“N500,000,000.00 general and
exemplary damages against the Respondents jointly and severally for the
violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights aforestated.”
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