Tarfa withdraws N5bn suit against EFCC

Lagos lawyer, Ricky Tarfa has withdrawn the N5bn fundamental rights enforcement suit he instituted against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and four others over alleged violation of his privacy.

Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos in view of the withdrawal struck out the suit and ordered the embattled Senior Advocate to pay a punitive cost of N10, 000 to the five respondents namely, the EFCC, its Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, Mrs. Rashidatou Abdou, Femi Falana, SAN, and MTN Nigeria Communications Limited.

Earlier, a lawyer from the chambers of the embattled Senior Advocate, O. Oladele, filed an ex parte application to discontinue the case without reason.

This, counsel to the EFCC, Wahab Shittu and Rotimi Oyedepo were not opposed to, but prayed the court to award a punitive cost against Tarfa.

Shittu said, “My Lord, we have no objection to the discontinuance of the suit but we want the court to award a punitive cost against the applicant; our names have been flying around in the major newspapers since yesterday.”

Oladele, however, argued that the EFCC’s counsels had no right of reply since the application was ex parte and the respondents could not be demanding for cost because Tarfa had not served them with the suit.

Tarfa had filed a N5bn fundamental rights suit against the anti-graft agency after he was arrested by operatives of the commission on February 5 within the premises of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere.

EFCC had alleged that Tarfa hid two of its suspects in his car to prevent their arrest.

DailyPost