Detained 19-Year-Old Varsity Student Demands N10m Damages From EFCC

A 300-level Nursing student of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Miss Oluwateniola Omidiji, has demanded N10,000,000 as damages from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for violating her fundamental rights to human dignity.

Miss Omidiji, aged 19, was arrested and detained by the EFCC over an alleged debt owed to a business partner by her mother, Mrs. Omoniyi Omidiji.

She was taken from the university premises on April 26, 2024, by operatives of the Commission from its Lagos Zonal Command over a business transaction entered into in 2020 by her mother, who is a widow.

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In a fundamental rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/759/224, filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, Miss Omidiji alleged that she was taken hostage by EFCC operatives over a debt which one Mr. Charles Nwoko alleged that her mother owed him from a business deal.

Mr. Nwoko, who said he invested the sum of N100,000,000 into Mrs. Omidiji’s business sometime in 2020, came after Oluwateniola for the sum and the interest since her mother, his joint business partner, is out of Nigeria.

During the investigation, EFCC discovered that four persons were named directors in a company called Elisto Global Services Limited, which Mrs. Omidiji allegedly used to receive the money from the complainant (Mr. Nwoko). They are the applicant’s mother; Mr. Nwoko, the applicant’s brother, and the applicant herself.

Oluwateniola has cried out to the court for relief after her school was stormed penultimate Friday by EFCC operatives while she was writing exams. They had laid siege to the school and taken her away. She has remained in detention since then and has not been granted bail about 10 days after her arrest.

From the court papers sighted, EFCC is said to have maintained that, having been named by her mother as a director of Elisto, the 19-year-old Oluwateniola should answer for her mother’s presumed crime in the joint venture with Mr. Nwoko.

However, in the application to enforce her fundamental human rights filed by her lawyer, Chijioke Emeka, SAN, of Auxano Law, Oluwateniola contended that she was only a 16-year-old minor when her mother entered into the partnership with Mr. Nwoko and she knew nothing about the deal. She further contended that it was wrong for the EFCC to hold her hostage over a crime allegedly committed by her mother.

She also argued that the transaction was a civil matter and asked the Court to order the EFCC to leave her out of the issue and pay her N10,000,000 as damages for the violation of her fundamental rights to human dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and freedom of movement.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

Meanwhile, an attempt to speak with EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale for his reaction on Monday was met with a brick wall as he declined to comment on the development.