Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting
\nat Jabi, has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
\nto forthwith, release the detained former Aide de Camp to ex-President
\nGoodluck Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, on bail.<\/p>\n
The court directed that Col. Adegbe who has been on detention since
\nFebraury 11, should be granted bail on \u201cvery liberal terms\u201d, pending when
\na charge is filed against him.<\/p>\n
The order followed a fundamental rights enforcement application the
\ndetainee, through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Ogwu Onoja, SAN, filed
\nbefore the court.<\/p>\n
However, Justice Halilu declined to order the anti-graft agency to pay
\nN100million to the applicant as compensation for his \u201cunlawful detention\u201d,
\nas well as to tender a written apology to him.<\/p>\n
The Judge said it was \u201cunconstitutional and illegal\u201d for the EFCC to keep
\nthe applicant in its custody without a valid charge pending against him
\nbefore a court of competent jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
He berated the Commission, saying it has reduced itself \u201cto the police
\nstation or detention centre of the Nigerian Army\u201d.<\/p>\n
Besides, the court noted that the agency contradicted itself when it
\nclaimed that the applicant was being investigated over his alleged
\ninvolvement in arms procurement fraud, and yet claimed that he was
\ndetained on the instruction of the Army.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the respondent is dancing makossa in one \u00fdside, it is singing
\nanother song on the other side,\u201d Justice Yusuf stated.<\/p>\n
Meantime, Adegbe\u2019s lawyer, informed the court that in anticipation of the
\nruling, the EFCC, quickly transferred his client from its custody to that
\nof the Army.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Jabi, has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to forthwith, release the detained former Aide de…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n