The aide-de-camp to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to the Nigerian Army authorities.
Adegbe was being held by the commission for his alleged role in the disbursing of over N10bn to the presidential primary delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party in December 2014.
Adegbe, who filed a N100 million ‘unlawful detention’ lawsuit against the anti-graft agency on Thursday, was reportedly released on Friday.
His lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), had urged the Federal High Court to declare that his client’s arrest and continued detention by the EFCC since February 11 was unconstitutional and violated his right to personal liberty guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
He prayed the court to issue an order compelling the EFCC to release the applicant from unlawful detention, with immediate effect.
Onoja argued that the arrest and detention of Adegbe by the EFCC violated his right to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed by Section 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
The applicant’s counsel said the EFCC’s action violated Articles 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
While the EFCC had maintained that Adegbe was being held on the instructions of the Nigerian Army, the judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, had fixed ruling on the case, for March 1.
In spite of Punch Newspapers’ report of his release, neither the spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, nor the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, could confirm the development.
