Patience Jonathan loses N2bn rights suit against EFCC

Former first lady, Patience Jonathan, has lost her N2 billion fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mrs Jonathan had sued the EFCC N2 billion in June 2017 for violating her rights in various occasions.

Justice John Tsoho, in delivering judgment on Tuesday said the none of the pleas being sought by Mrs Jonathan against EFCC was justified.

Tsoho said Mrs Jonathan’s rights to fair hearing, own property, family life, dignity of human person, and freedom from discrimination, were not violated by the EFCC as she claimed, as the commission was only carrying out its investigation.

Mrs Jonathan had filed the suit in June to challenge her alleged incessant harassment by the anti-graft commission.

She had prayed for an order for general damages and compensation in the sum of N2 billion, averring that the amount would serve as compensation for the violation of her fundamental rights by the commission.

Mrs Jonathan had also sought a declaration that her incessant harassment by the EFCC through negative media publications aimed at degrading her person as corrupt had sufficiently violated her rights.

She alleged that the commission’s malicious campaigns against her were carried out by the respondent without prior invitation to defend herself.

Mrs Jonathan further averred that the respondent’s actions were not offshoot of her trial and conviction in any court of competent jurisdiction.

She said her rights and good public image had been violated under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution as a result of the respondent’s untamed actions.

She also sought a declaration de-freezing all her bank accounts and those of her relatives held down by the EFCC under the guise of investigation of proceeds of crime.

The applicant averred that the commission had without her invitation and interrogation approached a court to freeze those accounts.

She further sought a declaration that the invasion of her property by the EFCC officers in her absence was a breach of her fundamental right, among others.