Gbenro Adesina
Justice Iyabo Yerima of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has dismissed the suit filed by Amos Olugbenga Olaniyan, aka Crime Alert against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, claiming that the anti-graft agency has violated his fundamental human rights for arresting and investigating in investment fraud allegations levied against him by members of the public.
EFCC arrested Olaniyan in May 2021 following a series of petitions by victims, who alleged that Amos through his company, DHIL Nigeria Limited popularly known as Crime Alert Security Network Investment, persuaded them to invest in a network scheme which offered a monthly 30 per cent returns on investment.
According to some of the victims, they were persuaded to invest after listening to his weekly radio programme.
Among the reliefs sought by the Crime Alert boss was an order declaring his arrest and detention illegal and monetary compensation of N10m for wrongful infringement of his rights and a public apology.
However, Justice Yerima, in her ruling, stated that sections 6 and 7 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004 and section 35 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), empowers the EFCC to arrest and detain the applicant in carrying out its statutory responsibilities to investigate alleged cases of economic and financial crimes.
She, therefore, dismissed the suit as unmeritorious and refused all the reliefs sought by the applicant.
