Court okays Fani-Kayode’s continued detention by EFCC

A Federal Capital Territory High Court has dismissed an application by former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, seeking the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.

Mr Fani-Kayode, who served as Director of Media and Publicity in the campaign organisation of former President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing a 17-count charge of money laundering alongside a former finance minister, Nenadi Usman, and two others.

He had approached the court on June 2, to complain about his continued detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

But the judge, Adeboyega Adeniyi, in his ruling Wednesday, said the EFCC was constitutionally right to have detained Mr. Fani-Kayode since May.

Justice Adeniyi said the detention of Fani-Kayode was in line with the EFCC act, adding that the remand order obtained from a Lagos Magistrate Court was within the provisions of chapter 4 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.

Adeniyi further said the decision of the EFCC to obtain a second remand order, before the expiration of the first, was right decision.

Fani-Kayode was detained in May on the allegation that N840 million had been paid into his account on the eve of the 2015 general elections.

The money is suspected to be part of the $2.1billion allegedly misappropriated by a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.