Court dismisses Sanwo-Olu’s suit to stop EFCC from arresting him after tenure expires

Court dismisses Sanwo-Olu’s suit to stop EFCC from arresting him after tenure expires

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has struck out the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik struck out the matter after counsel who appeared for Mr Sanwo-Olu, Gbenga Femi Akande, moved the motion for the discontinuance of the case.

Ms Abdulmalik had, on October 29, fixed November 26 (Tuesday) for further mention.

The adjournment followed the submission of the EFCC’s lawyer, Hadiza Afegbua, that she was yet to see the fresh originating summons served on them by Darlington Ozurumba, who filed the suit on the governor’s behalf.

However, it was observed that the matter was not listed on today’s cause list, and no governor’s lawyer was in court.

Out of the 10 cases scheduled for hearing before Ms Abdulmalik, the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/773/2024 between Mr Sanwo-Olu and EFCC was not on the Tuesday cause list.

When a correspondent asked the court workers why the matter was not listed, it was learnt that the case had been struck out on October 31 after it was withdrawn.

Meanwhile, there was a mild drama as the EFCC lawyer, Ms Afegbua, was sighted in court for the matter.

The anti-graft counsel, who had been appearing in the matter, was disappointed to see that the case was not on the cause list.

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Besides, she was taken aback when informed that the suit had been struck out on October 31.

Ms Afegbua, who refused to speak with journalists, left the court disappointed.

However, the enrolled order made on October 31 showed that only the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr Akande, was in the proceeding, leading to the striking out of the case.

Again, while the notice of discontinuance of the suit was dated and filed on October 30, the hearing notice issued to parties for November 26 (today’s) sitting was equally dated October 30.

Mr Sanwo-Olu, through his counsel, Mr Ozurumba, had sued the anti-graft agency as a sole defendant over the alleged threat to arrest, detain and prosecute him after his tenure as governor.

In the originating summons, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/773/2024, dated and filed June 6, the governor raised seven questions and sought 11 reliefs.

He sought an order restraining the EFCC from harassing, intimidating, arresting, detaining, interrogating or prosecuting him in connection with his tenure as the governor of Lagos State, among others.

But the EFCC, in its counter affidavit, urged the court not to grant the reliefs sought by Mr Sanwo-Olu, describing it as speculative.

The anti-corruption agency, in the application dated October 30 but filed on October 31 by its lawyer, Ms Afegbua, said contrary to the governor’s claims, the EFCC neither threatened, invited or took any step at all to infringe on his right to freedom of movement nor violated his right to private and family life and personal liberty.

 

Court dismisses Sanwo-Olu’s suit to stop EFCC from arresting him after tenure expires

(NAN)