The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has gone to court because he feels threatened by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He thinks they might try to arrest him, put him in jail, or charge him with a crime after he stops being governor.
Sanwo-Olu’s lawyer, named Darlington Ozurumba, is helping him with this case. They went to a judge called Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at a court in Abuja to talk about it.
On Tuesday, Sanwo-Olu’s lawyer told the judge that they had changed the papers they first gave to the court and sent new ones. The EFCC, the group Sanwo-Olu is worried about, has also received these new papers.
But, the lawyer from EFCC, named Hadiza Afegbua, said she hadn’t seen the new papers yet.
The judge, Abdulmalik, said the papers showing they gave the documents were missing and decided to talk about the case again on November 11.
These papers have a special number, FHC/ABJ/CS/773/2024, and were first given to the court on June 6. They have seven questions and 11 things that Sanwo-Olu wants from the court.
What Sanwo-Olu Wants from the Court
Sanwo-Olu wants the court to say he has the right to privacy, like everyone else in Nigeria, as stated in the 1999 Constitution. This should be true before he was governor, while he is governor, and even after he stops being governor.
He also wants the court to declare that he has the right to have things like houses, cars, and bank accounts whether he is a governor or not.
Sanwo-Olu believes that according to some rules in the Constitution, the EFCC should not investigate, arrest, or hold him during the time he is governor. He thinks this is against the law.
He says if the EFCC does these things, it would be wrong and against his basic rights, like the freedom to move around as he wants, as given by the Nigerian Constitution.
He also wants the court to say that people who don’t like him are using the EFCC to make false accusations of corruption against him, which he thinks is trying to misuse power and their position.
No More EFCC Trouble
Sanwo-Olu is asking the court to say that the EFCC should stop bothering him, scaring him, arresting, or questioning him about his time as governor, because these actions are not fair and touch on his basic rights.
He also wants the court to stop the EFCC from taking his things, like his home or money, or stopping him or his family from leaving the country by taking their passports.
Additionally, Sanwo-Olu wants to make sure the EFCC doesn’t call him for questions or arrest him about anything that happened while he was governor. He wants the court to make sure he can enjoy his rights, like freedom to live peacefully, have a fair trial, enjoy family life, move around freely, and own things according to Nigerian laws.