Court dismisses ex-First Lady's N2bn suit against EFCC, fines her N50,000

The Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Monday, June 4, 2017, gave the order after Mrs. Jonathan withdrew her suit against the EFCC.

The ex-First Lady had in February sued the anti-graft Commission for the alleged breach of her fundamental human rights.

She asked Justice Saliu Saidu to declare that the freezing of her bank accounts with about $20 million balance and those of her relatives by the EFCC as a gross violation of her rights to a fair hearing and to own property.

She also asked the court to award her N2 billion in damages against the EFCC over the illegal raid of her family property by its operatives.

Mrs. Jonathan, through her counsel, I. A. Adedipe (SAN) prayed the court to restrain the EFCC from infringing on her right.

In defense, counsel for the EFCC, Kayode Oni, described Mrs. Jonathan's suit as "an abuse of court process."

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However, on Monday, July 3, at the resumed hearing, Sammie Somiari who represented Mrs. Jonathan addressed the court on a notice of discontinuance of the suit.

He said he had "an instruction of his client to discontinue the matter."

According to him, an application has been filed before the court to that effect.

Responding to Mrs. Jonathan's U-turn, Oni submitted that she has a right to discontinue the case, but pressed for a charge of N500,000 as the cost of filing processes in response to the suit.

But Justice Saidu refused the N500,000 request.

The judge struck out the suit and awarded N50,000 cost against Mrs. Jonathan.