National Coalition of NGOS Against Corruption (NCNAC) has condemned the decision by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to detain Barrister Monday Onyekachi Ubani longer than necessary despite the subsisting order of the Federal High Court.

A statement signed by the Convener, Comrade Harris Chuma, said that “Bar Ubani, a former Vice President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is a brave, kind, and principled person who has suffered immensely at the hands of the EFCC in the past three weeks simply for speaking out and standing up for her client Dr. Mrs Olejeme whose alleged disappearance while on bail has nothing to do with Ubani.”

NCNAC said in the statement: “It would be recalled that Dr Mrs Olejeme was declared wanted since last year on a civil related matter.

“She returned to Nigeria in December and was consequently granted bail early January. EFCC is currently demanding that her lawyer, Mr Ubani, should provide Dr Mrs Olejeme who allegedly disappeared after EFCC invasion of her home.

“It would be recalled that Justice Sylvanus Orji of the Federal High Court had in a ruling on March 26, 2019 granted an ex-parte motion filed by Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN directing the EFCC to charge former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Vice President, Mr. Monday Ubani, and his co-applicant to court “on or before Friday, 28/3/2019”.

“The court in the alternative ordered that “If the Applicants are not charged to court on or before 28/3/2019, EFCC is directed to release them on bail” upon fulfillment of some listed conditions. The EFCC should not continue to disobey this order of the court.”

NCNAC lamented that, in brazen disregard of the clear court ruling, EFCC “has neither charged the former NBA Vice President to court nor granted him any administrative bail.”

According to NCNAC, “The EFCC continued detention of Mr. Ubani violates Section 35 (4) of the 1999 Constitution which provides that “Any person who is arrested or detained in accordance with subsection (1) (c) of this section shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time”.

“The maximum detention period is 48 hours, except extended by a competent court. Mr. Ubani has been in EFCC custody for about three weeks.”

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