BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

ABUJA—Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday said he would summon the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over its conduct in the ongoing investigation into an allegation that a retired judge of the court, Justice Gladys Olotu, stashed away over N2 billion in a foreign bank account.

Olotu, who was sent on a compulsory retirement by the National Judicial Council, NJC, after she was found guilty of judicial misconduct, went before the court to obtain an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the anti-graft agency from arresting, or inviting her for questioning over the allegation.

In the suit which was adjourned for hearing on October 2, Olotu is asking the court to, among others,  restrain the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, the State Security Service, SSS, the Police and Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, from further inviting or quizzing her.

In her supporting affidavit, she accused the NJC and the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, of instigating the security agencies against her for daring to challenge her compulsory retirement in court.

She stated that upon the service of processes (in relation to her earlier suit, challenging her compulsory retirement) on them, the AGF and NJC “very unfortunately felt and, indeed, expressed anger against me.”

Justice Olotu stated that “in fulfilment of the threats, the 7th and 8th respondents (AGF and NJC) ganged up with the 9th to the 18th respondents against me, and I was subsequently invited by the 1st respondent, EFCC, to its office on March 18, 2014.

Listed at the 9th to 18th respondents in the suit were the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Salifu Alfa Belgore and Chief Gabriel Igbinedion – the Esama of Benin and father of former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion.

Others were corporate entities which included Ponticell Nigeria Limited, Stolt Offshore Services S. A., the Vessel M. V. Theo, the owners of the Vessel M. V. Theo, Elf Nigeria Petroleum Nigeria Limited, A.B.C. Maritime AG, the Vessel M.V.Lara and the Vessel M.V.Krysia.

Justice Olotu told the court that in honouring the invitation by the EFCC, she arrived its office at about 10am on March 18, 2014 and was subsequently “arrested, interrogated and detained until about 4pm before I was released to go with instructions to come back on April 1, 2014 for another round of humiliation and detention.”

She said her invitation by the EFCC “was orchestrated by the AGF and the NJC along with the named 10 others.

“I felt highly humiliated, tortured, heartbroken by the  manner the officers of the 1st respondent ridiculed me in the name of interrogation.”

The embattled judge told the court that after her experience with the EFCC, officers of the ICPC, SSS, the police and the Code of Conduct Bureau were now on her trail making it difficult for her to move freely and to freely and safely stay in her residence.

“My residence has now turned a rendezvous for all manner of security agents in Nigeria for the single reason that I filed Exhibit A (the suit against her retirement) and have refused to discontinue it,” she added.

She further sought an order directing all the respondents to tender a written apology to her; an order awarding N5 billion as exemplary damages against the respondents and in her favour and a perpetual injunction restraining the respondent from further arresting, detaining and humiliating her.

Meantime, the judge handling the matter, Justice Adeniyi, threatened to summon the EFCC for publishing on the pages of Newspapers, the counter-affidavit it entered against Justice Olotu, without furnishing her lawyer a copy of the process until yesterday morning.