Fake News: Court Protects Fani-Kayode, Odumakin From Arrest
BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – Reprieve came the way of former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and the spokesperson of Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Chief Yinka Odumakin on Monday as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies from arresting them over allegations of peddling fake news.
The anti-graft agency had threatened to clampdown on Fani-Kayode and Odumakin for allegedly originating and peddling in the media phony news about its operatives raiding the Abuja home of Justice Walter Onnoghen, the embattled Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN)
However, moving to prevent their possible arrest by security agencies or EFCC over the fake news allegations, both Fani-Kayode and Odumakin approached the high court for protection.
In their legal submission, they alleged plots by security agencies to infringe on their fundamental human rights as Nigerian citizens.
Besides their substantive suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/49/2019, the Plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Mr Chukwuma-Umachukwu Ume (SAN) had on Monday, filed an ex-parte motion for an order restraining both the EFCC and other security agencies from taking any action against them, pending the determination of their joint-suit to enforce their fundamental human rights .
Justice John Tsoho, who granted the order, further fixed February 4, 2019 for the commencement of hearing on the matter.
He also ordered all the parties in the case to avoid any action capable of affecting the subject matter of the suit before the court.
The judge also ordered that the hearing notices should be served on all the Defendants in the case.
Aside the EFCC, also mentioned in the case as defendants are the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Among reliefs being sort by the plaintiffs are that the court should make: “A declaration that the respondent’s public declaration to arrest the applicants on the bases of spreading false rumours, is an infringement of the applicants’ rights and breach of their fundamental rights enshrined in the 1999 constitution (as amended);
“An order enforcing the applicants’ fundamental rights and ordering the respondents to stop issuing threat of unlawful arrest; and
“An order of injunction protecting the applicants from indiscriminate arrest, by restraining the respondents from threatening, harassing, intimidating, inviting, arresting or detaining the applicants, by the respondents, their privies or agents.”
Both are also praying the court to direct the respondents to pay them the sum of N20 million as damages for the unlawful threat to arrest them