The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Monday filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit before a Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking for his immediate release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The PDP spokesman was on January 5, arrested by the anti-graft agency for allegedly receiving N400m from the $2.1bn arms funds that was allegedly diverted by a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) and distributed to top politicians.
But Metuh had reportedly claimed that the sum was for an undisclosed service he rendered to the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
In the suit filed by his lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, the PDP spokesman alleged that his arrest and continued detention was part of a grand ploy by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to silence the voice of opposition and make Nigeria a one-party country.
Adegboruwa, who personally deposed to an affidavit of urgency in support of Metuh’s suit, stated that since President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in last year, he has launched “a massive attack upon the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, in the guise of fighting a nebulous anti-corruption war.”
The lawyer further claimed that the President had upon taking office reorganised the EFCC to hound the opposition.
Metuh, through Adegboruwa, sought a declaration that his detention by the EFCC without access to his family and lawyer, and without being charged to court, amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 33, 34, 35, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 of the 1999 Constitution.
Expressing fear that Metuh was being kept under untidy or unhygienic conditions which might have effect on his health, Adegboruwa argued that Metuh’s continued detention was a breach to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
In the suit, Metuh prayed the court to order the EFCC and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN, sued as the 2nd defendant, to immediately release him.
Dailypost reportage.
ilegal detention is wrong,if they have a strong case against him then EFCC should charge him to court.
Maybe they should even ask former President Jonathan what services Metuh rendered to him to earn him such monies.
I know that Jonathan is a good person with a good heart but he let bad things happen and i honestly cannot boldly say his hands are clean.
They should charge to court or release him.
ReplyDeleteNa dem sabi. All politicians are the same. We youth should stop supporting any of them jor
End time money sharing kasala.
DeleteI believe that the arrest and continued detention of Metuh is politically motivated. The new govt wants no opposition or criticism.
ReplyDeleteThank you...
DeleteEnd time suit
ReplyDeleteEnd time suit
ReplyDeleteHmmm. EFCC should take him to court ,instead of detaining him illegally. But what kind of service did he render to Goodluck Jonathan, for him earn such amount of money.
ReplyDeleteIn the bid to fight corruption, respect basic human rights..by the way when will they bring in the person giving the order to share this money? na only the receivers we dey see. Their wahala sha
ReplyDelete"Expressing fear that Metuh was being kept under untidy or unhygienic"
ReplyDeleteBut this is where they keep other Nigerian citizens,if not worse.
You see why you all should invest in prison/whatever-place-you-are-being-held reform?
Hahahaha...
DeleteAbi?...
As in eh! I was confused reading that part... So ordinary Nigerians are not human I guess... he is the special one hence he is too big to be in their 'untidy' custody ! In their next life, they will do the needful.. What kinda statement is that?
DeleteAll this politicians should keep quiet; Services my foot. Who knew a time did come when PDP will be pointing accusing fingers at the opposition for using EFCC to intimidate them. PDP and APC should just shut it.
ReplyDelete*these
DeleteSingular and plurl this fit give person headache a timesm
Seen
ReplyDeleteBefore you jump on the band wagon of witchhunt or gagging opposition or tyrant buhari, have you lost anyone to the insecurity in the NE? If your answer is no, then you have no moral right to defend anyone being arrested over the arms deal. I personally know 3 soldiers who laid down their lives for this country, it's sad cos they were ill equipped and maybe would have been alive if this fraud didn't happen. Captain Sa'ad's little daughter would never be able to stroll and jog with her dad again, Corporal Akeem's wife was living in denial months after her husband was killed cos she couldn't come to terms with the fact that he was dead and Corporal Obadia's wife couldn't take her husband's body home for proper burial cos those bastards mutilated him so badly the army had to give him and other victims mass burial. Do you know the pains of the families of these people? And you just want to come and defend bloated scavengers that fed fat on our misfortune. Don't let partisanship ruin your sense of reasoning, be objective. Do you think Metuh and co that fed fat on money meant to equip soldiers to fight against bh would have been brave enough to be at the war front ill equipped? Yet they inhumanly sent our brothers on a suicide mission. I personally want everyone convicted or found guilty of misappropriation of the arms funds to be given capital punishment cos they deserve worse
ReplyDeleteSome of you shamelessly scream "selective fight against corruption" but have conveniently ignored the fact that this arms deal scandal is more than just corruption, it's man's inhumanity to man. They were feeding fat on money meant to combat insecurity, while innocent boys were being slaughtered in that secondary school at Buni yadi, they fed fat while the whole of Bama was on fire, they didn't flinch while innocent girls were kidnapped. Yet their mansions are fortified and they drive out in bullet proof vehicles. That's wickedness of the highest order. Their actions have made many widows, orphans, childless and sadly left thousands dead. I have no iota of sympathy for anyone arrested in this case. They're worse than the devil and should rot in a worse place than hell.
ReplyDeleteChop kiss.
DeleteMmmmuaaaah.
I read this comment and I have tears in my eyes, what a pity! I wonder if they really understood the magnitude of their callousness when they gleefully shared the monies and still sentenced soldiers who refused to fight ill equipped. When will our people understand that money does not precede human life? Living in insecurity alone is soul wrenching talk more of meeting face to face with an attacker ill equipped...hmmm.
DeleteMay God grant the families of the departed fortitude to bear their loss.
And when the aboki was instructing blood on the streets of northern nigeria where were u???
DeleteU cant go against the law to fight corruption within the law
ReplyDeleteHe's been detained for too long, that's very wrong.
ReplyDeleteOur economy has crumbled and Baba go slow is busy chasing the members of the opposition that are criticizing him...
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...
Buharia remember you can't be in power forever!...what goes around comes around!...
If you weren't myopic, you'd know that this fraud is one of the reasons our economy nosedived. When a selected few were sharing millions and billions of our common wealth, did you expect our economy to magically improve?? Just so you know, this is just the NSA, wait till they investigate NNPC and the rest.
DeleteWhat are yu waiting to tell dem what actually d money yu collected ws meant 4 ? Olu Falae said dat his was 4 d alliance his party had wt PDP & dat he is not returning it . Iyoricha said dat his own was for consultation, while Political "ashawo" Jim Nwobodo decamped to APC to evade arrest. Tell dem dat yu collected ur own 4 d erosion menace in south east . Dey there naa !!
ReplyDeleteStella I agree with you a 100%
ReplyDeleteThe only area of interest to me is the undisclosed services... Whats the meaning of that? When it comes to situation like this, it's only proper to disclose anything hidden to avoid suspicion! Oga metuh,start singing....
ReplyDeleteEFCC becoming an epitome of lawlessness Thanks to Bullyhari
ReplyDeleteNoted
ReplyDeleteStella, leave Jonathan out of this!
ReplyDeleteMr metuh,face the music.
Stella,people close to GEJ used his weakness or rather had their evil deeds done in the moment of his weakness.
ReplyDeleteGMB respects no law,he thinks he is in a military regime. when the human rights activists/organisations starts blacklisting Nigeria,then we will all know what we are into.
No, let him continue his barbaric ruling. Once a dictator, always a dictator
DeleteStop giving excuses for GEJ, I used to like the man but please stop giving excuses for him. He was supposed to be in charge of this country when all this happened. Plus Dasuki claims he did as instructed by GEJ. So one way or the other, GEJ is directly involved in all of this
DeleteStop giving excuses for GEJ, I used to like the man but please stop giving excuses for him. He was supposed to be in charge of this country when all this happened. Plus Dasuki claims he did as instructed by GEJ. So one way or the other, GEJ is directly involved in all of this
DeleteMoh'md stop wasting
DeleteUr time on these dumb idiots!!!
What does he mean by" undisclosed service".
ReplyDeletedats a very silly n stupid comment coming from u,stella.pls always think b4 u talk cos ur opinion is all always senseless.i wonder who gav u a say since u're not based in Nigeria, n so shdlnt say what u don't know.nonsense!!!
ReplyDeleteNa wah o
ReplyDelete