Col Ojogbane Adegbe, former Aide de Camp to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has been granted liberal bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja and is to be immediately released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Adegbe had gone to court to plead that his fundamental human rights were being infringed upon with his continued unlawful detention after he was arrested by the anti-graft agency.
He had also demanded a N100 million compensation and a written apology.
Justice Yusuf Halilu, giving his ruling on the case on Tuesday, March 1 ordered the EFCC to release Adegbe but declined his request for compensation and a written apology.
Before the judge delivered his judgement, Ogwu Onoja (SAN) Adegbe’s lawyer had informed the court that the EFCC had transferred Adegbe from its custody to the Army after the hearing of the suit on Thursday, February 25.
Ogwu revealed that after the said hearing, the EFCC which claimed to be holding his client on the instruction of the Army, granted him bail on conditions that were practically impossible to meet.
However, counsel to EFCC, Benda Musu denied knowledge of any such transfer of custody as alleged by Ogwu.
The judge further declared the incarceration of the plaintiff since
Thursday, February 11 without filing charges against him as
unconstitutional and illegal while also scolding the EFCC for “reducing
itself to the police station or detention centre of the Nigerian Army”.He noted that the EFCC contradicted itself by stating that it was investigating alleged arms procurement scam for which Adegbe was apprehended but at another time claimed that the plaintiff was being held on the instruction of the Army.
The judge said: “While respondent (EFCC) is dancing makossa in one side, it is singing another song on the other side.”
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