In a significant ruling on Monday, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) granted N100 million in damages against both the Federal Government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for infringing upon the fundamental rights of former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The judge handed down the damages in favor of Emefiele during the pronouncement of the judgment in response to the lawsuit filed by the ex-CBN governor to enforce his fundamental rights.
Emefiele had brought the lawsuit against the Federal Government, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, and the anti-graft agency.
Justice Adeniyi emphasized that the agency’s incarceration of Emefiele, followed by his transfer to the EFCC and subsequent detention, constituted a violation of the former governor’s fundamental rights.
Furthermore, the judge issued an injunction preventing the respondents from rearresting Emefiele or detaining him without a valid court order from a competent jurisdiction.
