PORT HARCOURT, FEBRUARY 21, 2017 – Former First Lady Mrs. Patience Jonathan has sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking to enforce her fundamental human rights.
She is praying the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, to declare that the freezing of her bank accounts and those of her relatives by the anti-graft agency was a gross violation of her rights to fair hearing and to own property.
Represented by her counsel, Granvill Abibo, she said the breaking into and ransacking of her family property by officials of the Mrs. Jonathan is also seeking a declaration that her incessant harassment is based on her contrary political views and for being the wife of a former president, who belongs to the opposition party.”
She is also seeking the sum of N2billion naira as damages for the alleged violation of her fundamental human rights.Justice Saliu Saidu has fixed April 24, 2017 for hearing of the motion.
Abibo told the court that he needed time to respond to the counter affidavit that the commission had sworn to.Counsel to the EFCC, Kayode Oni, told the court that the commission received the applicant’s processes last week and also responded at the same time.
In his motion of preliminary objection, he urged the court to dismiss the entire suit for want of jurisdiction. He said his argument was based on the fact that the entire suit is speculative and an abuse of court process against the respondent.
Oni added that the court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to determine the suit as presently constituted, because it did not disclose any good, valid or reasonable cause of action against the respondent. He said Mrs. Jonathan was never invited or investigated in any way whatsoever by the Port Harcourt office of the EFCC.
