Court vacates detention order on ex-bank chairman

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has set aside an earlier order it granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to remand former chairman of the defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, for 14 days.

The court, while vacating the order yesterday, held that the anti-graft agency misled it into granting the application on account of suppressed fact.

Justice Yusuf Halilu consequently ordered his immediate release from EFCC custody.

The ruling followed an enforcement of fundamental rights suit filed by Ayeni seeking his freedom.

The agency had last week approached the court through an ex-parte application.

The commission had hinged the request for a remand on the need to investigate a petition submitted by the office of the Vice President in respect of Ayeni’s alleged role as chair of the financial institution.

The applicant however approached the court to challenge the order, praying for it to be set aside.

In his argument, the Ayeni, through his lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), submitted that the application was to challenge the jurisdiction of the court and EFCC’s action.

The lawyer informed the court that there was a pending suit before the Federal High Court against the applicant on same subject matter, and that the trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, had admitted him to bail, whose conditions he had perfected

Raji told the court that the detention of the applicant was a breach of his fundamental human rights considering that he went to the EFCC upon invitation.