Court Adjourns Patience Jonathan’s Suit Against EFCC To April 24

By Victor Ernest

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned the suit filed by ex-First Lady Patience Jonathan against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to April 24, 2017.

The former First Lady filed the suit against the EFCC in protest of the freezing of her bank accounts and those of  her relative.

She claimed that freezing of her accounts and that of her relatives is a violation of her fundamental human rights to own property and to fair hearing.

She also alleged that the breaking into and ransacking of her family property by officers of the Commission while executing a search warrant was a violation of her fundamental human rights to private and family life.

The Former First Lady is also seeking the sum of  N2 billion as damages for the alleged violation of her fundamental human rights by the Commission.

However, the EFCC in its motion of preliminary objection is seeking an order striking out the entire suit for being speculative and abuse of process against the respondent/applicant.

It stated that the honourable court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to pry into and determine the suit as presently constituted as the action did not disclose any good, valid and or reasonable cause of action against the respondent/applicant.

During Monday’s sitting, counsel to Mrs Jonathan, Granville Abibo, SAN, told the Court, presided over by Justice Saliu Saidu, that he has just been served with the counter affidavit by the EFCC and so needed time to respond.

Counsel for the commission, Kayode Oni, said he was served with the processes by the applicant’s counsel last week and also filed his response last week.

Kayode argument was not strong enough to warrant an immediate response from patience’s counsel, and so, the case was adjoined to April 24th.