Nigeria’s Anti-graft Agency the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed a motion before the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, asking for a stay of execution of the judgment of the Kogi State High Court in Suit No: HCL/696/2022 between Ali Bello and the Commission delivered on 12th of December, 2022 and the consequential order made on the 6th of February, 2023.
Other reliefs sought in the motion on notice, including an Order of interlocutory injunction restraining the applicants from attempting to execute or enforce the judgment of the trial Court pending the determination of the appeal.
In the supporting affidavit to the application, deposed to by Samuel Ugwuegbulam, he affirmed that the Appellants have “strong, good and arguable grounds of appeal”.
He averred that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to entertain the matter as the alleged infringement of the respondent’s fundamental human rights occurred in Abuja, and no element of it took place in Lokoja.
He said the trial court lacked jurisdiction to proceed to hear the suit, a fact which the Appellant dully raised before the court.
Ali Bello had dragged the Chairman of the EFCC, AbdulRasheed Bawa to court for arresting and detaining him illegally, with the court ruling in his favour, only for the EFCC to arraign him for alleged money laundering three days after the ruling.
Dominica Nwabufo
