Sealing of property: Court orders EFCC to pay Fayose N10m

BY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN -A Federal High Court in Ibadan has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to pay damages of N10million to the former Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayo Fayose for sealing off his residence in Ibadan.

Fayose had approached the court claiming that the agency had infringed on his rights by forcefully sealing off his residence without any court order.

According to him, the anti- corruption agency acted beyond the precincts of the law and allegedly enforcing the instruction of the then Ekiti State Government stated in a letter dated September 20, 2010.

The order was given by Justice J.E Shakarho yesterday in a judgment delivered on the suit filed by the former governor against the anti-graft agency for violating his fundamental human rights.

Justice Shakarho said there was no order that Fayose should forfeit his property to the government. Mr. Fayose asked for damages of N50million but the court granted him N10million.

His house at the Government Reserved Area, GRA, Iyaganku Quarters, Ibadan, was sealed off by the agency on September 29 2010 but the ex-governor went to court to seek redress.

While delivering judgment, the court frowned at the action of the agency and concluded that it must be answerable for the wrongful acts carried out by its officials.

Describing the action as malicious embarrassment to Fayose, the court also barred the agency from publishing “misleading press statements, pictures of the applicant’s residence and or procuring the release of any misleading information in the print media, in any manner.”