A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has
adjourned until April 24, 2017, for hearing the suit brought before it
by former first lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, against the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission on the enforcement of her fundamental human
rights.
Mrs Jonathan had gone to court to seek a declaration that
the freezing of her bank accounts and those of her relatives by the EFCC
was a violation of her fundamental human rights to own property and to
fair hearing.
The former first lady also claimed that the breaking into
and ransacking of her family property by officers of the Commission
while executing a search warrant was a violation of her fundamental
human rights to private and family life.
She also sought the sum of N2bn as damages for the alleged violation of her fundamental human rights by the Commission.
But the EFCC, in its motion of preliminary objection, sought
an order dismissing/striking out the entire suit for want of
jurisdiction and an order striking out the entire suit for being
speculative and abuse of court process.
Counsel for the EFCC, Mr Kayode Oni, on Monday raised the
preliminary objection and challenged the powers of the court to hear the
suit brought before it by Mrs Jonathan.
However, Mrs Jonathan’s counsel, Granville Abibo (SAN),
disagreed with the filing and service of a preliminary objection by the
anti-graft body.
Abibo maintained that the filing and service of a preliminary objection in the matter was late and should be not be entertained.
The counsel prayed for more time to allow him file a
response to the preliminary objection brought by the EFCC, adding that
it had just been served a counter affidavit by the agency.
But Oni told the court that he was served with the processes
by the Applicant’s counsel last week and also filed his (Oni) response
last week.
After listening to both counsels, Justice Salihu Saidu, pronounced the adjournment of the case till April 24, 2017.
Some protesting women and youths outside the court premises,
however, expressed dissatisfaction over EFCC’s actions against Mrs
Jonathan.