Meanwhile, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted the EFCC permission to arrest Bello preparatory to his arraignment on Thursday.
By Jeffrey Agbo
A Lokoja High Court in Kogi has restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the immediate past governor of Kogi, Yayaha Bello.
Justice I. A Jami of court 4, who presided over suit no HCL/68/M/2020 brought by the former governor seeking to enforce his fundamental rights against the EFCC, gave the definite order following the earlier interim injunction given
In a two-hour judgment delivered on Wednesday, the court restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant except as authorised by the court.
This is a definite order following the earlier interim injunction given.
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The court equally restrained the respondents from continuing to persecute the applicant.
Earlier in the judgement, the court dismissed the issue of jurisdiction as challenged by the EFCC.
The applicant’s counsels, S. Abbas and M. Yusuf, who spoke with journalists, described the judgment as a landmark while the defendant’s counsels, T.U Odima and Patrick Jibril, also aligned themselves with the judgment, describing it as “thorough.”
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted the EFCC permission to arrest Bello preparatory to his arraignment on Thursday.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the warrant on Wednesday afternoon at the instance of the EFCC.