Tina Amanda
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has restrained Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, from inviting or threatening to arrest the Vice-Chancellor Pamo University of Medical Sciences, Professor Michael Diejomaoh.
Justice George Omereji who gave the judgement ruled that the invitation letter served on the Applicant, Professor Diejomaoh by the Respondent EFCC without explicit reasons of any crime committed constitutes a threat to his Fundamental human right.
The Judge held that the Prosecution proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt since EFCC could not substantially explain why they want to arrest or detain Professor Micheal Diejomaoh.
The Judge awarded the sum of seven hundred thousand naira to be paid by the Respondent to the Applicant as damage cost.
Counsel to the Applicant, Golden Tamuno, told our correspondent Tina Amanda, that the reasons for the threat to arrest Professor Diejomaoh were not explained by the Respondent.
“The EFCC invited Professor Michael Diejomaoh who is the Vice-Chancellor Pamo University of Medical Sciences. My Law Firm wrote to them asking for an explanation to why he was invited, they never responded, but rather sort to threatened to arrest and detained him.
“So, we came to court to restrain them from doing the illegal thing and the court agreed with us that the letter without explicit reasons of any crime committed by the man constitute a threat to his fundamental right, therefore EFCC should be restrained from doing so”
Recall that the founder of the University and former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili has been in a lengthy legal tussle with the commission over corruption charges.
