The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Thursday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to pay N1 million to a man for violating his right.
Babajide Adelekan, who was the provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, at the time, was arrested when he visited his bank in 2018 to find out why his account was frozen.
In a judgment delivered via a virtual court sitting, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu held that the EFCC failed to prove why Mr Adelekan was arrested and detained.
The judge held that the EFCC failed to lay credible evidence before it to prove the arrest and detention of the applicant.
On the claim by the EFCC that the applicant was arrested based on several petitions lodged against him, the judge said that there was no concrete evidence before the court to establish the claim.
“His arrest and detention exceeded what is reasonable and amounts to a violation of his right to liberty and movement.
“I hereby make a declaration that the arrest and detention of the applicant constitute a violation of his rights as enshrined in Section 35 of the Constitution.
“In law, any deprivation of liberty or rights of a citizen attracts a penalty,” she said.
She ordered the anti-graft agency to, in addition to paying the sum of one million naira to the applicant, release his international passport and refrain from any action inimical to his rights.
(NAN)