Former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan
on Thursday slammed a N2 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suit, which was filed on behalf of the former first lady by her counsel, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), was brought pursuant to Order 2 Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009 and Sections 34(1), 36(1), 37, 42 and 44 of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
In the suit, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan is praying the court to order the anti-graft agency to pay her the sum of N2 billion as general damages/compensation jointly and severally for the violation of her fundamental rights.
She wants a court declaration that her incessant harassment by the EFCC through negative media publications, denigrating and degrading her person as corrupt, without any invitation by the Commission, trial or conviction by a court amounts to a violation of her rights under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
The former first lady is also praying for a declaration that the indiscriminate freezing of her bank accounts and those of her relatives by the EFCC, under the guise of investigation of proceeds of crime, without any invitation or interrogation by the respondent (EFCC) is a violation of her rights to own property and to fair hearing guaranteed under Sections 44 and 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
She also prays for, “a declaration that the invasion, breaking into and ransacking of the applicant’s family property by the agents of the respondent in the absence of the applicant or any member of her family, while purporting to be executing a search warrant is a violation of the applicant’s fundamental human rights to private and family life guaranteed under the provisions of Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“A declaration that the incessant harassment of the applicant by the respondent on the ground of her political views expressed by reason of her being a member of the opposition party in Nigeria, is a violation of the applicant’s fundamental human right to freedom from discrimination, guaranteed under Section 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“An order of court restraining the respondent, whether by itself, its agents, privies or any person acting on its behalf from further violating the applicant’s fundamental rights adumbrated above”.
The matter which was mentioned yesterday before Justice John Tsoho was adjourned till November 16, 2017 for hearing.