Enugu – A university student, Mr Ifeanyi Okoye, on Monday dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to a Federal High Court in Enugu for alleged character assassination.
Okoye, of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), filed the suit alleging character assassination and a breach of his fundamental human rights.
The counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Ralph Nnamu, said his client was arrested by the EFCC at a cyber café where he was sourcing information for his postgraduate project.
Nnamu said that on Jan. 21, 2011, operatives of the EFCC stormed the cyber café and whisked his client away to unknown destination.
He said that the operatives alleged that his client defrauded one foreign firm located in London, Global Ventures, of N10 million.
“It is unfortunate that up till now the EFCC is yet to furnish this court with clear evidence showing that my client truly committed the crime he was accused of.
“He has been going to the cyber café for his project work since his enrolment as a post graduate student.
“I don’t know where the EFCC sourced their information which they relied upon to prosecute my client,” he said.
The counsel to the EFCC, Mr Ethelbert Onunze, said it was a case that did not require much legal tussle.
He said the case was simple and straight forward as far as cases associated with cyber crime were concerned.
“The operatives of the EFCC acted on an alert by a concerned citizen who had been furnishing the commission with the activities of the plaintiff at the cyber café on weekly basis.
“The accused heinously defrauded the foreign firm of the sum of N10 million, claiming that he will supply them with raw materials for production of textiles.
“It was at the point of collecting the sum of N700,000 meant for the transportation of the said raw materials that the EFCC arrested him.
“The accused never worked or dealt with any firm here in Nigeria that was associated with the production of textile materials,” he said.
The presiding judge, Justice M.L. Shuaibu, adjourned the case till Oct. 9 for further hearing. (NAN)
Okoye, of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), filed the suit alleging character assassination and a breach of his fundamental human rights.
The counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Ralph Nnamu, said his client was arrested by the EFCC at a cyber café where he was sourcing information for his postgraduate project.
Nnamu said that on Jan. 21, 2011, operatives of the EFCC stormed the cyber café and whisked his client away to unknown destination.
He said that the operatives alleged that his client defrauded one foreign firm located in London, Global Ventures, of N10 million.
“It is unfortunate that up till now the EFCC is yet to furnish this court with clear evidence showing that my client truly committed the crime he was accused of.
“He has been going to the cyber café for his project work since his enrolment as a post graduate student.
“I don’t know where the EFCC sourced their information which they relied upon to prosecute my client,” he said.
The counsel to the EFCC, Mr Ethelbert Onunze, said it was a case that did not require much legal tussle.
He said the case was simple and straight forward as far as cases associated with cyber crime were concerned.
“The operatives of the EFCC acted on an alert by a concerned citizen who had been furnishing the commission with the activities of the plaintiff at the cyber café on weekly basis.
“The accused heinously defrauded the foreign firm of the sum of N10 million, claiming that he will supply them with raw materials for production of textiles.
“It was at the point of collecting the sum of N700,000 meant for the transportation of the said raw materials that the EFCC arrested him.
“The accused never worked or dealt with any firm here in Nigeria that was associated with the production of textile materials,” he said.
The presiding judge, Justice M.L. Shuaibu, adjourned the case till Oct. 9 for further hearing. (NAN)
