Court dismisses suit filed by Femi Fani-Kayode against EFCC

An Abuja high court has dismissed a fundamental rights suit filed by Femi Fani-Kayode, challenging his prolonged detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Fani-Kayode, who was the spokesman of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation,  was held in detention for at least 50 days before he was charged to court.

On Tuesday, a federal high court in Lagos had remanded him in prison, pending the determination of his application for bail.

He, alongside Nenadi Usman, former minister of finance, is facing a 17-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N4.9bn preferred against him by the EFCC.

While in EFCC custody, Fani-Kayode had filed a suit seeking an order of court for his release.

But Adegboyega Adeniyi, justice of the Abuja court, on Wednesday, held that the EFCC did not breach any law by holding him.

He said that the EFCC, having procured a remand order from a magistrate court, acted within its statutory power.

The judge also held that the remand order procured by the EFCC was in line with the provision of chapter 4 of the 1999 constitution, which allows it to question anyone in the course of an investigation.