Armsgate: EFCC Escapes Court Wrath For Releasing Press Statement On Metuh’s Case

The Justice Okon Abang-led Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday frowned at the action of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC where it issued a press release on the current trial involving the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Olisa Metuh, without being objective enough.

The court made its stance known at the resumed hearing of the case of human rights violation brought against the anti-graft agency by the embattled PDP spokesman.
Metuh had instituted a legal proceeding against the EFCC for detaining him illegally for two weeks; an action he claimed infringed his fundamental human right.

At the resumed hearing, Metuh’s counsel, Adedioe, SAN, said his client was under trial by the court not by the EFCC or the press.
Adedioe while urging the court to prevent the continued misrepresentation of court proceedings said, “It is your lordship that is trying Chief Metuh not the press or the EFCC. We should not justify what is not justifiable.”

EFCC’s counsel, Constance Ugwu, in his reaction blamed the media for misrepresentation of court proceedings saying, “I know the press, they have the penchant for sensationalism. This is the problem we have in this country, they will hear what happens, go home and misinterpret.”
DAILY POST recalls that that the spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Uwajeren had yesterday issued a press statement on the appearance of one of its prosecution witness, detective Junaid Sa’id in the case against Metuh.

The statement was, however, perceived by Metuh’s counsels as one-sided, adding that it misrepresented the court proceeding.  The legal team of the embattled PDP spokesman are complaining that the EFCC, which is a principal party in the case issued a press release on a current matter before the court and also hid certain facts disclosed in the court which included, Sa’id’s testimony where he said that Metuh never ate his statement while in custody of the commission.

Metuh’s legal team also expressed displeasure over the fact that the EFCC’s statement did not reflect the fact that the prosecution witness also read out a section in the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, document wherein it was stated that the N400m payment to Metuh followed due process.
In his ruling, Justice Abang ordered that the matter be brought up during the continuation of the criminal matter.
Daily Post.