EFCC
Court awards N5m damages against EFCC for wrongful accusation
Justice John Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ruled in favour of Nasiru Saidu-Ali, a photographer popularly known as Kozzo, ordering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to pay N5 million in damages for wrongly parading him as a fraudster.
The judgment also mandated the EFCC to issue a public apology to Saidu-Ali.
The incident dates back to May 2019 when Saidu-Ali was arrested from his Abuja residence, and his images were shared on the EFCC’s social media platforms alongside those of other alleged internet fraudsters.
Despite being released later due to lack of evidence, Saidu-Ali pursued legal action against the EFCC for criminal defamation.
In the ruling, the court ordered the EFCC to remove Saidu-Ali’s image and name from its social media platforms and refrain from further portraying him as a fraudster without a court judgment.
Additionally, the EFCC was directed to pay N2.5 million as exemplary and punitive damages for the unlawful publication of Saidu-Ali’s image and another N2.5 million as general damages for the loss suffered.
Pelumi Olajengbesi, Saidu-Ali’s lawyer, reiterated that it was unlawful for the EFCC to publicize images of individuals arrested for alleged crimes without obtaining a court conviction.
He emphasized that the court’s decision reaffirmed Saidu-Ali’s right to human dignity, privacy, and the presumption of innocence.
Olajengbesi stated that despite the requested N100 million in damages, the court awarded N5 million and imposed a perpetual order restraining the EFCC from re-arresting Saidu-Ali.