Abuja lawyer sues EFCC over physical assault

****As SAN takes up case

An Abuja based constitutional lawyer, Chief Felix Edewor has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to court over a physical assault on him by an operative of the commission, Mr. Mohammed Mohammed.

The EFCC official, Mohammed had pounced on Chief Edewor, gave him slaps and blows when he went to the commission to request for the sum of fourteen million naira belonging to the FRCN Headquarters staff cooperative society being held by the agancy.

Counsel to Chief Felix Edewor, Dr. Emeka Obegolu, a senior advocate of Nigeria SAN, in his originating summons said the act by the EFCC and it’s official was an infringement on the fundamental human Rights of the lawyer.

The case has been scheduled for hearing on 7th of March at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on the.

In the originating summons, made available to newsmen by Dr. Obegolu SAN, in Abuja, the EFCC and Mr. Mohammed Mohammed are the first and second respondents in the matter.

Dr. Obegolu said the motion is “brought pursuant to section 33 and 34 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,  FRN as ammeneded, articles 2,3,4 and 5 of the Peoples’ Rights (ratification and enforcement) Act cap AGO vol. 1 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2011, order 11 Rule 1 of the fundamental rights enforcement procedure) rules, 2009 and under the inherent jurisdiction of this honourable court”

The Senior Advocate is praying the court to declare that “the unprovoked physical and brutal assault unleashed on Chief Edewor in the presence of other persons, by the Mr. Mohammed on the 4th day of October, 2022, in the discharge of his official duties at the EFCC office by slapping him repeatedly and hitting him at the back of his head multiple times leading to severe brain damage that resulted in swollen eye, swollen face and fainting spells, elevated blood pressure and hypertension constitutes a grave violation of the fundamental right of the applicant to life as guaranteed under Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Articles 2 & 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP AQ) VOL. | Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2011”

“A declaration that the unprovoked physical and brutal assault constitutes a grave violation of the fundamental right of the applicant to dignity of his person as guaranteed under Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Articles 2 & 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAF AQ) VOL. | Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2011”

In his letter of complaint to the EFCC directorate of Internal Affairs, Chief Edewor expressed shock that while beating him up, the EFCC operative, Mr. Mohammed said loudly, “this is Nigeria, I can do anything to you and nothing will happen”

Before the assault, Chief Edewor had written a protest letter to the management of EFCC on the 15th of June 2022 which he complained about “the conduct of the Investigation Officer (IO) Mr Mohammed Mohammed via a letter dated 15th June, 2022 and titled “We Remonstrate against manifest bias, coercion, intimidation and abuse of human Right visited on Comrade Victorson Agbenson, the president of the FRCN HQ Cooperative Society Ltd by Mr. Mohammed Mohammed and his team under the Guise of ‘ investigation”.

It was this protest against the alleged  bias and high-handedness of the EFCC operative that provoked his phisical assault on the lawyer, Chief Felix Edewor on the 4th of October 2022.