A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, before Justice Evoh Chukwu has
affirmed that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related
Offences Commission (ICPC), never infringed on Mbuotidem Daniel Akpan
Edike’s fundamental human rights by declaring him wanted on the pages
of newspaper.
Akpan Edike, who was a Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) had sought an order of the court seeking to
declare the publication, purpotedly declaring him wanted by the
commission as a breach of his own fundamental right to liberty, in
which he had also sought N10million in damages against the commission.
At the resumed hearing of the matter in which the trial judge
delivered a ruling, counsel to the applicant Catherine Anene and O. G.
Iwuagwu, counsel to the respondents readopted their addresses having
elapsed the duration period before ruling, as stipulated by the
constitution.
The applicant in the suit instituted against the commission had
earlier argued that the commission breached his fundamental rights, as
he was not properly invited for investigation before the news
publication declaring him wanted.
The trial judge in his ruling, averred that the anti corruption agency
having provided the court with sufficient evidence in support of its
invitations sent to the applicant, it was clearly obvious that the
respondents (ICPC and its Chairman) “did everything humanly possible
to invite the applicant” for investigation into a petition against
him.
It also noted that having gone AWOL as affirmed by the NSCDC, over the
investigation into the petition against the applicant, the commission
sent another invitation to a business enterprise linked to him, even
at that, the commission went further to serve invitations on the
applicant’s lawyers which were acknowledged in 2013.
On this premise, Justice Chukwu ruled in favour of the commission,
ordering the applicant to bear the cost of the litigation in the sum
of N50,000 to the commission.