A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from “arresting, detaining, prosecuting or embarrassing” former Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, on account of an alleged non-performing loan of N189 million owed to the troubled Finbank.
Odili also secured an order that his property in any part of the country must not be trespassed upon by the anti-graft body and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or any of their agents for the purpose of realising any security over his indebtedness to the bank.
Finbank is one of the five commercial banks whose chief executive officers were recently sacked by the CBN Governor, Lamido Sanusi, on account of cases of insider abuse and inadequate security for facilities they granted their customers.
The court upheld the submission that the former governor is a legitimate Nigerian who took a legitimate loan from a legitimate Nigerian bank.
The court further ordered that EFCC, CBN and Finbank must not act against Odili upon being served with originating summons in a suit in which Odili sought for the enforcement of his fundamental rights.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole gave the order while ruling on an ex-parted motion brought to the court by Odili.
The judge ordered that even in the absence of a written order from the court for now, none of the defendants upon receiving originating summons from the plaintiff must take any step or act in any manner that would prejudice the issue already brought before the court.