Baraza: Court threatens to commit EFCC Chairman to prison over contempt

A Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has threatened to commit the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, to prison over contempt of court.

The court, in a “Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Court Order” addressed to Olukoyede, noted that “unless you obey the direction contained in this order, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”

This notice comes after the EFCC Port Harcourt Zonal Office engaged an estate valuer to value and rent out properties belonging to Bliss Multinational Perfections Limited and Arch. Oyinmiebi Bribena, The CEO of Baraza Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.

It will be recalled that Justice Isa H. Dashen, in his judgment in suit number FHC/YNG/CS/125/2022, had Perpetually Restrained the EFCC from seizing properties belonging to Bliss Multinational Perfections Limited and Bribena, which are clearly not proceeds of crime.

Justice Dashen also declared the seizure and sealing of properties belonging to Bliss Multinational Perfections Limited and Bribena by the EFCC as unlawful.

The court further described as unlawful the instructions given to Bribena’s bankers by the EFCC to place a post-no-debt lien or freeze his accounts.

The EFCC was Perpetually Restrained from “inviting, harassing, arresting, detaining, threatening to arrest, or detaining the Plaintiffs as a result of the civil dispute between Baraza Multipurpose Co-operative Society Limited and its members, or on matters arising from the registered business objects of the co-operative society.”

The sum of N10,000,000 was awarded as exemplary damages against the EFCC for the unlawful seizure and attachment of properties belonging to Bliss Multinational and Bribena.