A Federal Capital Territory High Court imposed a N10 million fine on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and three others for violating fundamental rights. The respondents in the case include former EFCC boss Abdulrasheed Bawa, an agency officer named Calistus, and Fidelity Bank Plc.
Justice Peter Kekemeke issued the fine during the judgment of a suit brought by Mr. Michael Kundera to enforce his fundamental rights. The court found that the respondents infringed on the applicant’s rights by unlawfully arresting and detaining him from May 15 to May 16, 2023, without charging him or granting bail. Justice Kekemeke emphasized that subjecting a 75-year-old man to such treatment was unacceptable.
The judge declared the arrest and detention as unlawful and a violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights. He criticized the harassment in a resolved court matter, stating that the respondents had overstepped their authority. As a result, the respondents were ordered to pay N10 million collectively or individually to the applicant for the rights violation, along with an additional N2 million for legal costs.
Mr. Kundera’s legal representative, Dr. O. Orji, argued that his client was invited, detained, and denied bail in a case already settled by an FCT High Court. The dispute revolved around a land plot at the foreign affairs quarters rightfully owned by Kundera. The matter is also pending at the Court of Appeal under suit number CA/ABJ/CV/533/2021.
