The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said the continued detention of a former Aide de Camp to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, was on the directive by the Nigerian Army.
The anti-graft agency also denied summoning him from the United Kingdom where he had been attending a military course after quitting as the President’s ADC when Jonathan left office on May 29, 2015.
This is contained in a counter-affidavit which the commission filed to oppose the suit filed by Adegbe, demanding N100m compensation for alleged unlawful detention.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of a Federal Capital Territory in Jabi, Abuja, entertained arguments for an against Adegbe’s application on Thursday and fixed March 1 for judgment.
Adegbe has been in EFCC custody since February 11 in relation to investigation into alleged fraud in the procurement of arms meant for fighting insurgency in the North-East.
But one of EFCC’s lawyers, Mr. Francis Jirbo, who deposed to the commission’s counter-affidavit opposing the suit, stated that the anti-graft agency never prompted the Army to summon the former President’s ADC from the UK for the investigation.
The counter-affidavit stated, “In further response to the paragraph 6 of the affidavit in support of the applicant’s (Adegbe’s) application, the respondent (the EFCC) states that it has never invited the applicant for any investigation.
“The true position is that it was his office, the Nigerian Army, that brought him to the office of the respondent, in furtherance of their investigation into detected financial crimes committed in the arms procurement involving the applicant.
“That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraph 7 of the affidavit in support of the applicant’s application, the respondent has never caused the Nigerian Army to invite the applicant from anywhere.
“That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraph 12 of the affidavit in support of the applicant’s application, the respondent states that the applicant is in custody at the instance of his employee, the Nigerian Army.”
Jirbo added that the directive to investigate Adegbe followed the activities of the committee set up by the Federal Government in October 2015.
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