An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan on Wednesday reserved judgment in a N100 million enforcement of fundamental human rights suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mr. Fadi Alloush, a charcoal merchant, instituted the case against the EFCC and the Chief Executive of Coco Dor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Houssam Nasreddine, and his company.
He demanded N50 million as damages for alleged blackmail.
Justice Iyabo Yerima reserved the judgment after listening to the arguments of the counsel to the applicant and the respondents.
Yerima said that the judgment date would be communicated to the counsel as soon as it was ready.
Earlier in his argument, counsel to the applicant, Mr. Olakunle Kamisi, had told the court that the EFCC unlawfully arrested and detained his client and violated his fundamental rights.
Kamisi said that the transaction between his client and Nasreddine was purely civil and not criminal, adding that there was no reason for the EFCC to arrest and detain his client.
He told the court that the EFCC unlawfully arrested and detained his client over a complaint that was supposed to be a commercial and civil transaction between his client and his business partner, Nasreddine.
Kamisi said that the applicant and Nassreddine were foreigners in Nigeria who engaged in charcoal export as business partners.
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He said that he was relying on the 57 exhibits as well as the affidavits and the written addresses before the court as his arguments of the case.
The counsel added that the detention of Alloush in the custody of EFCC between March 9 and March 17 as well as detainment of his charcoal truck was unlawful and led to destruction of his business.
Kamisi urged the court to grant his prayer and award the sum of N100 million against the EFCC and N50 million against Nasreddine.
In his response, the counsel to EFCC, Dr. Benedict Ubi, told the court that he was relying on his counter affidavits as well as his written address and some exhibits as his argument before the court.
Ubi urged the court to grant his application and refuse the application of the applicant.
The counsel to Nasreddine, Mr. Bash Okoh, said he had shown to the court that in a civil transaction, crime could be inherent, maintaining that the right of the applicant was not tampered with.
Okoh urged the court to refuse the application of the applicant. (NAN)
