An FCT High Court, Jabi, on Tuesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release Col. Ojogbabe Adegbe, former Aide de Camp to President Goodluck Jonathan, with immediate effect.
The judge, Justice Halilu Yusuf, held that the applicant’s rights had been breached, adding that the commission should release Adegbe on liberal bail terms pending his arraignment in a competent court.
Yusuf said that if the EFCC was having a case against the applicant, the proper thing was to arraign him in a competent court instead of continuous detention in its custody.
He said the detention of the applicant having exceeded the 48 hours provided by the law was unlawful, unconstitutional and illegal.
The court said that the applicant’s right guaranteed under Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution had been violated by the continuous detention without proper trial.
Yusuf, however, dismissed the application demanding for a written public apology and N100 million damages sought by the applicant.
The applicant’s counsel, Mr Ogwu Onoja (SAN), told newsmen that he expected the EFCC to act on the orders of the court by releasing the applicant.
Onoja said that he was support of the corruption fight by the present administration if done within the ambit of the law.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adegbe had dragged the EFCC to court challenging his arrest and continuous detention by the anti-graft body since Feb.11 (NAN)