A Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has given an order, restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from further arresting a legal luminary, Prof. J. N. McCarthy Mbadugha, SAN.

The order was consequent of an application filed by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, seeking to enforce the applicant’s fundamental rights.

Ozekhome had approached the court presided over by Justice I.E. Ekwo, praying it to stop further arrest and invitation of his client by the EFCC.

Mbadugha is the counsel to business mogul, Innocent Chukwuma, in the suit involving his company and GTB.

The EFCC was said to have initiated moves against the lawyer in January, 2022, following certain affidavits filed in respect of the matter.

The EFCC operatives were said to have told the Learned Silk that the depositions in the counter affidavit he filed were false and asked him the source of the information. But the learned SAN told the EFCC personnel interviewing him that the depositions were true.

Irked by the development, Ozekhome sought the order of the court to stop further harassment of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Ozekhome, a renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria filed, at Mbadugha’s instruction, a fundamental human rights suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against EFCC and 5 other persons.

The ex parte order was thereafter granted by Justice Ekwo, with the originating substantive application served on the EFCC and all parties in the action.

Hon. Justice ordered that none of the parties before the court should take any further step in respect of case, which includes re-inviting and re-arresting the applicant.

Also, the court made an order for accelerated hearing of the substantive application and adjourned to 29th March, 2022, for hearing.