‎Ex-NNPC boss, Yakubu withdraws rights enforcement suit against EFCC, AGF

The former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, on Tuesday withdrew his suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the enforcement of his fundamental rights.

The former NNPC boss had slammed N1 billion suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his alleged unlawful detention by the anti-graft agency.

Yakubu had filed the suit before Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed after his arrest on February 8, 2017 and his continued detention by the EFCC with respect to the sums of $9,772,800 and £74,000 recovered from his house at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State on February 3, 2017.

Adeola Adedipe, who represented Yakubu informed the judge at the resumed hearing of the case on Tuesday that he had filed a notice of discontinuance of the suit on behalf of his client.

The lawyer cited the recent arraignment of the former NNPC GMD and the bail subsequently granted him (Yakubu) by the court as the grounds for filing the discontinuance notice.

The trial Judge, Justice Mohammed, before whom Yakubu was also arraigned on March 16, 2017 struck out the suit after Adedipe moved his client’s motion, which was not opposed by the EFCC and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), who are the first and second respondents in the suit.

Recalled that the anti-graft agency had, through its counsel, Johnson Ojogbane challenged Yakubu’s suit, saying that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacks the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit on the ground that the alleged breach of fundamental rights of the applicant happened in Kano state.

EFCC told the court in a counter affidavit that the monies recovered from Yakubu’s house were suspected to be proceeds of crime.