The Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to pay N10 million in damages to Pastor Oyinmiebi Biribena and his wife, Pastor Beatrice Biribena, for declaring them wanted without a valid court order.
The court, presided over by Justice Dashen, found the EFCC’s actions to be unjustified, unlawful, and unconstitutional.
Although the plaintiffs had initially sought N100 million in damages, the court awarded them N10 million as exemplary damages.
The controversy began when the EFCC published a notice on June 8, 2022, declaring the couple wanted.
The Biribenas challenged this in a suit filed on June 10, 2022, seeking to enforce their fundamental human rights.
The court’s decision emphasized that the publication violated the couple’s rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, and dignity, as protected under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
Justice Dashen, in his ruling, highlighted that the EFCC’s actions breached several constitutional protections and ordered the anti-graft agency to issue a public apology to the couple for the wrongful publication.
The court restrained the EFCC from further inviting, harassing, arresting, or detaining the Biribenas, pending the determination of another suit involving Bliss Multinational Perfections Limited and the EFCC.
