The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been ordered to immediately release a former Chairman of the defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, w
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been ordered to immediately release a former Chairman of the defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, who is currently being detained by the anti-graft agency.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of Abuja High Court yesterday gave the order shortly after the court set aside an earlier order it granted the EFCC to detain Ayeni for 14 days. Delivering the ruling in an enforcement of fundamental human right suit filed by Ayeni, the court held that the continued detention of the former Skye Bank chairman was illegal because the commission had suppressed facts which misled the court into granting its application for the detention of the plaintiff in the first place.
The anti-graft agency had last week approached the court through an ex-parte application seeking a 14-day remand order of Tunde Ayeni. The EFCC had premised the request on the need to investigate a petition submitted by the office of the vice president in respect of his alleged roles as the chairman of the defunct Skye Bank.
Tunde Ayeni had however approached the court to challenge the order as well, asking it to set aside the said remand order while also challenging the jurisdiction of the court and the action of the commission. According to him, there is a pending suit before the Federal High Court against the applicant on the same subject matter and that the trial judge at the Federal High Court, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, had in the particular case admitted him to bail.
But the EFCC ignored the court order. But having examined all the orders, Justice Halilu ordered Tunde Ayeni’s immediate release on the premise that the respondent suppressed facts to mislead the court.
