EFCC's boss to be remanded in prison? Appeal Court gets fresh request

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked the Court of Appeal to stop the execution of a verdict by the Kogi high court ordering the committal of its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, to prison.

In asking the appellate court to dismiss the order to arrest Bawa, EFCC said the Kogi State High court did not have jurisdiction to entertain the matter as the alleged infringement of the respondent’s fundamental human rights occurred in Abuja, and no element of it took place in Lokoja, PM News reports.

It argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to proceed to hear the suit, a fact which the EFCC said was dully raised before the Lokoja court.

The anti-graft agency further pointed out that the Appellant had applied to the trial court for compilation and transmission of the record of appeal, but as at the time of filing the motion, the file of the case was yet to be released to enable transmission of the record to the registry of the Appellate Court.

The deponent said rather than allow the record of the appeal to be transmitted, the trial court proceed to cite the Appellant on 6th February for contempt.

The deponent further averred: “If the execution/enforcement of the judgment of the 12th of December 2023 and the pronouncement of the trial Court of 6th of February 2023 is not stayed, it will jeopardize the Appellants/Applicants’ constitutional right of appeal and exercise of his statutory functions.”