A federal high court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, has fined the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) N10 million for unlawfully declaring Οyinmiebi Biribena, a pastor, and his wife Beatrice, wanted.

Isa Dashen, presiding judge, gave the declaration while ruling on a matter marked FHC/YNG/CS/132/2022 filed on June 10, 2022, by the applicants seeking the enforcement of their fundamental human rights.

The couple had amongst several reliefs, sought a declaration that a publication made by the commission on June 8, 2022 via Guardian Newspaper on page 36, declaring them wanted without a valid court order, constituted a “breach of their fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, right to private and family life and dignity of human person as guaranteed by Sections 34(1), 35(1) 37 and 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended), and Articles 4, 5, 6 and 12(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation, 2004”.

Biribena is the pastor in charge of Christ Embassy Church in Kumasi, Ghana.

The judge agreed with the applicants and granted all the reliefs sought.

The judge also made an order directing and compelling the EFCC to offer a public apology to Biribena and Beatrice, for the “unlawful and unconstitutional” publication.

He also gave an order “restraining the EFCC from inviting, harassing, arresting and detaining Οyinmiebi and Beatrice Biribena, pending the determination of a suit marked FHC/YNG/CS/125/2022”.

However, instead of the N100 million sought by the applicants, the judge awarded N10 million as exemplary damages against the EFCC and Wilson Umujaren, former spokesperson of the commission.

Although the judgment was delivered on March 22, 2024, the certified true copy was obtained on April 30.

Meanwhile, in a sister case marked FHC/YNG/CS/125/2022 between Bliss Multinational Perfections Limited and Οyinmiebi Biribena vs the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dashen, while ruling on the originating summons filed on June 7, 2022, granted some declarations in favour of the applicants against the EFCC.

The judge declared that “by virtue of the provisions of Sections 49 and 50 of the Nigeria Co-operative Societies Act, 1993, Cap C.35, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; and Section 51 of the co-operative Societies Law of Bayelsa State Cap C11, 2006, members of Baraza Multipurpose Co-operative Society cannot report any dispute arising from transactions between themselves and the Co-operative Society, to any security agency or resort to any court of law without first reporting to the Registrar/Director of Bureau of Co-operative Societies, Bayelsa State”.

The judge further declared that the “EFCC cannot interfere in any dispute between members of Baraza Multipurpose Society arising from the registered business objects of the co-operative society”.

He declared that by the provisions of the EFCC Act, 2004, the commission “is not empowered to wade into disputes borne out of civil transactions arising from the registered business objects of the cooperative society and that by the provisions of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2004, the EFCC cannot seize properties belonging to the plaintiffs which are clearly not proceeds to crime”.

Dashen gave a declaration that the “seizure and sealing of Bliss Multinational Perfections Limited’s property situated at No. 1 Otiotio road, Yenezue-Gene, Yenagoa, Bayelsa (known as Bliss Emporium) not being proceeds of any crime, by the EFCC is wrong, unlawful and ought to be returned”.

He also declared that the “seizure and sealing of the jointly owned property of Bliss Multinational Perfections Limited and Οyinmiebi Biribena, situated at No. 57, Green Villa Road, Biogbolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, not being proceeds of any crime, by the EFCC is wrongful, unlawful, and ought to be returned”.

He ordered that the applicant’s bank accounts should be unfreezed.

The federal government has inaugurated the 62-kilometre (km) Port Harcourt-Aba train service.

FG also declared a 4-day free train ride from May 1-4, to encourage and drive the usage of the train service.

Commercial services are expected to kick off from May 7.

In a statement by the federal ministry of transportation on Tuesday, Saidu Alkali, minister of transportation, said transportation is one of the eight key priorities of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, hence, his focus on the eastern rail corridor project since taking office.

Alkali said the commencement of the train service is part of the intensified drive by FG to facilitate trade, enhance mobility, and accessibility, as well as ensure connectivity between regions.

“With the completion of the rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt to Aba rail corridor, the Ministry will continue to vigorously drive the contractor Messrs CCECC towards the speedy completion and delivery of the 181 kilometres Aba-Enugu stretch,” Alkali said.

“The fare for the Port-Harcourt to Aba train service has been pegged at #1000 for VIP & #800 for economy class.”

Fidet Okhiria, the managing director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), said the locomotives and coaches used for the flag-off are refurbished ones.

Okhiria said the contractor is expected to deliver 50 narrow gauge locomotives and 100 narrow gauge coaches to be deployed along existing train corridors in the country.

On March 2, FG said the train services would commence by the end of March.

However, on March 29, the launch was postponed to April.

The rail line is a section of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railroad project initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

An 11-year-old teenager, Iremide Opeifa, has drowned in a swimming pool at the Grand Bank Link Hotels along Idiroko Road in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State.

It was learnt that the incident happened on Sunday evening.

It was gathered on Tuesday that Iremide had finished assisting his mother at her shop in the area before he left for the hotel where he drowned in the pool.

The younger sister of the deceased’s mother, Kehinde Opeifa, who spoke to newsmen, alleged that no efforts were made by the hotel to provide any medical care for Iremide before his mother arrived at the hotel.

She added that no lifeguard was in sight on the hotel premises to keep swimmers safe.

She said, “Iremide and his brother were assisting their mother in the shop before she left to buy some things for them as they were planning to resume school on Monday. His brother said he wanted to urinate on their way home, and after that, he did not see him again. So, he went back to the shop.

“While looking for his brother, one of their friends said they saw Iremide at Grand Bank Link Hotels. By the time he got there, he saw Iremide lying lifeless on the floor. That was when he ran home to inform his mum. So, when we got there, we saw the body.

“No effort was even made to take him to the hospital, they just left him there on the floor. We asked the person in charge of the pool why he collected money from such a young boy and allowed him into the swimming pool. So, the mother immediately went to the Police Division at Onipanu Ota to report the incident and thereafter rushed him to the hospital. He was rejected at two different hospitals. When we got to the third one, he was confirmed dead on arrival.”

Another relative of the family, Modupe Babafemi, claimed that the police did not take any action to view the corpse of the boy after the incident was reported at the station.

Babafemi also alleged that the police prevailed on the mother of the deceased to procure an affidavit not to take any legal action.

She said, “Since we reported the incident to the police, they did not make any attempt to go to the hotel and did not bother to see the corpse. The hospital where he was confirmed dead was even beside the police station yet they did not leave the station to check on him. They were even telling us to get an affidavit to withdraw the case.”

When contacted, the lawyer representing the hotel, Israel Ozolua, said he was told that the boys did not use the lifeguards provided by the facility before the incident happened.

He said, “My attention was drawn to the issue at about 4 pm today, so, I ran to the station and saw the victim’s family. All efforts to get information from them proved abortive. As of now, I have not got any information aside from the one I got from my client. The 12-year-old boy drowned. There are so many facilities provided by the hotel which include life jackets and those that look like tubes. But the boy did not make use of any. That is what I gathered from my client. But the DPO is also on top of the matter. The supposed attendant of the pool is still in police custody as I speak to you.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident, saying, “There was a report in Onipanu about a drowning incident on Sunday at about 8:40 pm. A woman named Florence Opeifa reported that her 12-year-old son, Iremide Opeifa, was rushed to the hospital after drowning while swimming with friends at the Grand Park Hotel, Ota. Sadly, he was confirmed dead at the hospital. Detectives visited the scene, took photos, and the body was taken to the hospital morgue.”