Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jabi, Abuja, has issued an interim order restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting or detaining former Defence Minister, Mr. Lawal Batagarawa, over a land dispute.
The court also prohibited the EFCC and its agents from inviting, harassing, or intimidating Batagarawa pending further proceedings.
The ruling came in response to claims that Batagarawa had been subjected to undue harassment by the anti-graft agency.
Justice Halilu further ordered substituted service of the originating legal processes on the EFCC and other respondents in the case.
In his statement, Justice Halilu said, “An order of interim injunction restraining the 1st respondent, its officers or agents, from further inviting, harassing, embarrassing, humiliating, arresting, detaining, or intimidating the applicant in connection with the plot of land allocated to LAMDA BETA INVESTMENT LTD, pending the hearing and determination of the applicant’s motion for interlocutory injunction.”
The case, which centers around a plot of land in Gudu District, Abuja, involves allegations by the 4th respondent, Patrick Ineke, who claims ownership of the land.
Batagarawa, however, refuted these claims, asserting that his company, Lamda Beta Investment Ltd, had been allocated the land by the Federal Capital Development Authority in 2001, and provided proof of payment for the right of occupancy.
The court adjourned the substantive hearing on Batagarawa’s fundamental human rights motion to October 31, 2024.
In a supporting affidavit, Batagarawa detailed instances of harassment, including his detention by the EFCC in August and repeated summons and phone calls by the agency. He alleged that these actions stemmed from false claims orchestrated by Ineke, based on a disputed transaction involving the land.
