Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Jabi, has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to forthwith, release the detained former Aide de Camp to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, on bail.
The court directed that Col. Adegbe who has been on detention since Febraury 11, should be granted bail on “very liberal terms”, pending when a charge is filed against him.
The order followed a fundamental rights enforcement application the detainee, through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Ogwu Onoja, SAN, filed before the court.
However, Justice Halilu declined to order the anti-graft agency to pay N100million to the applicant as compensation for his “unlawful detention”, as well as to tender a written apology to him.
The Judge said it was “unconstitutional and illegal” for the EFCC to keep the applicant in its custody without a valid charge pending against him before a court of competent jurisdiction.
He berated the Commission, saying it has reduced itself “to the police station or detention centre of the Nigerian Army.”
Besides, the court noted that the agency contradicted itself when it claimed that the applicant was being investigated over his alleged involvement in arms procurement fraud, and yet claimed that he was detained on the instruction of the Army.
“While the respondent is dancing makossa in one side, it is singing another song on the other side,” Justice Yusuf stated.
Meantime, Adegbe’s lawyer, informed the court that in anticipation of the ruling, the EFCC, quickly transferred his client from its custody to that of the Army.
