The Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has thrown out a N20 million fundamental rights suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The case was brought by Mrs. Christiana Dagogo-George, Project Manager of Wiseworld Firm Consult Limited.
Justice U.P. Kekemeke, who handled the case, ruled that Dagogo-George did not prove her right to personal liberty was violated during her arrest and detention from the 17th of October to 19th, 2022. The court emphasized that a lawful invitation by an anti-corruption agency for investigation does not breach fundamental rights.
Dagogo-George claimed her constitutional rights were violated after the ICPC detained her over a police contract scandal. The ICPC had summoned her to explain multiple training contracts awarded by the Nigeria Police Trust Fund in June 2022 to companies linked to her.
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The Commission revealed that Dagogo-George obtained eight training contracts, each worth over N36 million, through eight companies allegedly owned by her. Despite payments exceeding N100 million for training in eight locations, only three sessions took place. The rest of the money was reportedly misappropriated.
In its defense, the ICPC stated that Dagogo-George was granted bail the same day she appeared for questioning. She later violated bail conditions and ignored several summons, leading to bail revocation. She was re-granted bail with new terms in January 2023.
The Commission submitted documents showing Dagogo-George agreed to refund N10 million of the misused funds. Justice Kekemeke dismissed the suit, saying, “The documents attached to the Applicant’s Written Address are a mere surplusage. They carry no legal weight before this Court and are hereby discountenanced. The applicant has not made out a case for the grant of the reliefs sought.”