Ogun Assembly sues EFCC, ex- deputy speaker for alleged defamation

The Ogun State House of Assembly has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the impeached Deputy Speaker of the House, Oludare Kadiri, for alleged defamation

In the suit N0.FHC/AB/CS/7/2022 dated January 14, 2022, the Assembly alleged that the former deputy speaker was using an EFCC official to get the information given to the agency under confidentiality and leaked such with the purpose of smearing the image of the House in the media.

The parliament confirmed the development in a statement sent to Ripples Nigeria on Friday.

It read: “This is as a result of the confirmed evidence that Hon. Kadri, who has unfettered access to EFCC, is using an official of the Agency to implicate the House at all cost by arranging clandestine meetings between the said official and the invited officials of the House with the aim of giving out the questions to be asked in advance and supposed response for purpose of implicating the House.”

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The Assembly said its request to the EFCC for the provision of a copy of the petition against the House in line with section 36 (6) of the 1999 Constitution was rebuffed by the anti-graft agency.

The Assembly urged the court to grant an order of interlocutory injunction directing the EFCC to stay action on criminal investigation pending the hearing and determination of a substantive suit filed last year.

“Without prejudice to formal service of the relevant processes by the court bailiffs, this letter serves as clear and unequivocal notice to the EFCC that a motion for interlocutory injunction is currently pending before the court,” it stated.

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