Olisa Metuh Drags Efcc To Court Over Rights Abuse

SAN FRANCISCO, January 14, (THEWILL) – Embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh on Thursday dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to court over an abuse of his fundamental human rights.

Metuh's counsel, Ifedayo Adedikpe told the Federal High Court in Maitama Abuja that it was unlawful for the anti-graft agency to unnecessarily detain his client without preferring charges against him.

He also prayed the court to determine whether the EFCC was right to have relied on an order from a Magistrate's Court to hold Metuh beyond the mandatory 48 hours that he was supposed to have been charged to court.

Adedikpe further lamented the manner of reports being targeted against Metuh in the media, stressing that various publications were aimed at tarnishing the reputation of his client.

After hearing the submissions made by the counsels, the presiding judge, Justice Abang Okon gave EFCC until January 19 to respond to the pleas and adjourned the case to Wednesday, January 20 for definite hearing.

Meanwhile PDP sympathizers flooded the court premises with placards which voiced their anger at the prolonged detention of their party spokesman and the purported flagrant infringement on his fundamental human rights.

Metuh was arrested by operatives of the EFCC on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 following allegations of his involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal saga. Thereafter he was accused by the commission to have received N400m from former President Goodluck Jonathan for an undisclosed assignment.

The PDP spokesman who has refused to disclose to the EFCC the nature of assignment he allegedly carried out for Jonathan that necessitated the payment, was also reported to have torn and tried to swallow a confessional statement he had earlier written during his detention at the commission.