Court Restrains EFCC from Arresting Saraki’s Associate, Izuagbe- Davidson Iriekpena

EFCC logo

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to maintain status quo and desist from arresting the Managing Director of Carlisle Properties, Mr. Kennedy Izuagbe, an associate of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
The court also put on hold, the arrest of shareholders and staff of Carlisle Properties, believed to be owned by Saraki.

Izuagbe in an ex parte motion filed before the court, prayed it to stop the EFCC as well as its  Director of Operations, Olaolu Adegbite, from further harassment and intimidation of the applicants by agents of the commission.

Counsel to the applicant, Efot Okoi, arguing the motion on behalf of Izuagbe and Carlisle Properties, said their intimidation was unconstitutional, illegal, null and void as well as a gross violation of their fundamental right as provided under sections 34, 35 and 37 under the 1999 Constitution.

Okoi argued further that until the hearing/determination of the motion of notice, the EFCC and its agents should be restrained from intimidating his clients, as well as carrying out any further arrest and detention of the applicants, their agents and associates.

Okoi also prayed for an order setting aside the letter of invitation from EFCC to Izuagbe and Carlisle Properties pending the hearing and final determination of the substantive suit before the court, adding that Izuagbe was only head of Internal Control at the SGBN and was never directly involved in loan approval.

Justice Mohammed Yunusa in his ruling ordered that the EFCC maintains status quo and that they should be served with the processes and order of the court.
The judge also ordered the EFCC to show cause why they should not be restrained from arraigning Izuagbe and adjourned to October 12.

However, the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, had said in a statement last Thursday that Izuagbe, 45 was declared wanted because he could not be reached by the anti-graft agency.

He said: “Kennedy Izuagbe, a former Director at Societe Generale Bank Nigeria Plc and Managing Director of Carlisle Properties and Investment Limited, has been declared wanted by the EFCC to the tune of over N3.6 billion.”

Culled from Thisday