Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation and Yinka Odumakin, spokesman of the Afenifere group, have filed a N20million suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the threat to them.
EFCC had threatened to arrest Fani-Kayode and Odumakin and charge them for libel over their claims that the commission laid siege to the house of Walter Onnoghen, Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Fani-Kayode has since apologised to the commission but insisted that some people came to search the CJN’s house in Abuja.
Onnoghen has also denied claims that the EFCC ransacked his home.
However, in a suit filed at a Federal High Court in Abuja through their lawyer, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN), Fani-Kayode and Odumakin claimed that the public announcement by the commission to arrest them is an “infringement on their human rights”.
They maintained that “the EFCC is biased and its invitation is a disguised plan to incarcerate them and thwart the cause of justice”.
They are demanding an apology from the commission and also N20million fine as “damages for the unlawful threat to arrest the applicant”.
The prayers read: “A declaration that the respondents’ public declaration to arrest the applicants on the bases of spreading false rumours is an infringement of the applicants rights and a breach of their fundamental rights enshrined in Section 34(a) 35(1) (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents by themselves, agents, privies, or anybody deriving authority from them by whatever name called from harassing, intimidating, arresting, abducting or detaining the applicants.
“An order compelling the respondents to tender an unreserved public apology to the applicants for the infringement of their fundamental rights and for describing them in demeaning manners.
“An order that the respondents, pay the sum of N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) as damages for the unlawful threat to arrest the applicants.”
