EFCC Tells Court To Dismiss Andrew Yakubu’s N1bn Suit
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has petitioned the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a fundamental rights suit brought against it by former Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC, Andrew Yakubu.
Yakubu had asked the court to award him the sum of N1 billion in his favour against EFCC as damages and compensation for violation of his right.
The counsel to EFCC, Johnson A Ojogbane, told the court that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the suit. “All the facts relevant to the Applicant/Respondent’s application took place in Kano State which is outside the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court Abuja.
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“It is not in doubt that, the acts leading to this action filed by the Applicant/Respondent all occurred in Kano. He was never invited to the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja and never came to Abuja in respect of the instant case. In view of this, the Federal High Court lacks territorial jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter as the court must have both subject matter and territorial jurisdiction to entertain a case”, Ojogbane argued.
On the Applicant’s prayer for human rights enforcement, Ojogbane argued that “the application is incompetent, incurably defective and therefore robs this honourable court of the jurisdiction to determine the suit”.
He went on to add that the detention warrant that authorised the detention of the Applicant/Respondent was obtained in Kano State as the EFCC was investigating the allegations leveled against the former NNPC boss.
