Ex Naval Chief accuse EFCC of intimidation and harassment

Usman Jibrin, former Chief of Naval staff, has laid a complain before Justice Abubakar Umar, of an Abuja high court on how the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have been harassing and intimidating him even while he is enjoy bail granted him by the court.

 Jibrin who was arraigned alongside Bala Mshelia and Shehu Ahmadu on a four-count charge, bordering on criminal conspiracy by allegedly buying a house worth N600million from the account of Naval Engineering Services without the said purchase contract captured in the budget.

 However, at the resumption of the matter before the trial court, counsel to Jibrin, Yakubu Maikyau SAN, informed the court that on November 24, 2016, operatives of the EFCC broke into a house which he (Jibrin) had let out at Kubwa, in Abuja, in his absence without bothering to invite him.

 According to him, it was after breaking into the house that one of the operatives deemed it fit to call him on phone, the action of the commission, came after it had informed the court that it had concluded its investigation of the case.

 Responding to this, the trial judge, Justice Umar declared that the court could neither speculate since it could not be proven that the action was connected to the ongoing trial or not, and that it will be difficult to stop EFCC from performing its statutory function of investigation.

 He said the former Naval Chief had two options of either complaining to the commission or file court action for violation of his fundamental right.

 The counsel for the prosecution, Joseph Uzor, however, promised that he would cross check with EFCC with a view to knowing if the raid was in connection with the ongoing trial of Jibrin and others or not.

 Justice Umar in his ruling on an application by the defendants, also held that the international passports of Jibrin and Mshelia with the court be returned to them to enable them travel for medical checkups in the United Kingdom and United States respectively.

  The matter has however been adjourned to February 14 and 15, 2017 for continuation of trial.