The Federal High Court, sitting in Kano, has dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by a group of clerics seeking to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from inviting or interrogating them in connection with a disputed land transaction.
The ruling was delivered by Musa Shuaibu, who held that the EFCC is empowered by law to investigate criminal allegations and that the court could not pre-empt or halt an investigation that had not yet culminated in any formal charge.
According to the court record, the applicants approached the court alleging that an intended invitation and investigation by the EFCC in relation to a land deal estimated at ₦3.5 billion would violate their fundamental rights. They sought orders restraining the Commission from inviting, questioning, or taking any investigative steps against them.
In response, the EFCC opposed the application, arguing that it was acting within its statutory mandate to investigate petitions and allegations of financial crime, and that the suit was premature, as the applicants had not honoured the Commission’s invitation at the time the action was filed.
In his ruling, Justice Shuaibu agreed with the EFCC’s submissions, holding that the suit lacked merit and was premature. The court dismissed the application and further ordered the applicants to pay costs assessed at ₦250,000 for instituting the action.
What Next:
– EFCC may proceed with invitations and investigations in line with its statutory powers.
– No further court dates were fixed in respect of the dismissed application.
