By Abba Auwalu Issa
Mr. Peter Odili, the former Governor of Rivers State, has been placed on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) watch list, according to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The NIS made the announcement on Wednesday in response to a lawsuit filed by Odili challenging the service’s seizure of his international passport.
Mr. Jimoh Adamu, counsel to the service, said the court that he had only submitted a counter-affidavit to oppose the former governor’s claim when the case was called on Wednesday.
Adamu requested a little recess so that he could get his house in order.
Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe, Odili’s lawyer, did not object to the request for a short adjournment.
The case was subsequently deferred until Sept. 28 for a hearing by Justice Mohammed.
According to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN), the former governor had taken the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and its Comptroller-General to the Federal High Court to challenge the seizure of his passport at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport for unexplained reasons.
He alleged in the fundamental rights enforcement complaint that operators of the service seized his international passport with the number B50031305 on June 20.
Odili asked the court to order the two respondents to hand him his passport.
He also requested a permanent injunction prohibiting the service from harassing, embarrassing, intimidating, or interfering with his fundamental right to freedom of movement in the future.
In addition, the previous governor wanted a written apology for the service’s disgrace.
The service justified the seizure of Odili’s passport and refuted his accusations in the FHC/ABJ/CS/965/2021 action in a counter-affidavit.
“The applicant’s passport was taken because he was placed on the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) watch list after the Economic and Financial Crime Commission requested it (EFCC).
“The government’s objective is to streamline the security agencies stationed at the country’s entry/exit points.
“The respondents (the National Institute of Standards and Technology and its Comptroller-General) are the primary agency for the aforementioned function.
“All security services collaborate by providing the respondents with a list of anyone on the watch list.”
“By virtue of Section 31 of the Immigration Act 2015, the respondents are empowered to prevent a person from leaving Nigeria if there is a request to arrest them in the public interest, as the EFCC has sought in this matter.
“The respondents are empowered to seize the applicant’s international passport under the aforementioned section of the Immigration Act because he was watchlisted in response to an EFCC request,” it stated.
Odili’s complaint was pre-empted, according to the NIS, because he reportedly failed to meet the prerequisites for launching such suits.
“This action is premature and inept because the applicant failed to serve a pre-action notice on the respondents as a condition antecedent to initiating this complaint against them.
“This honorable court lacks jurisdiction due to the failure to serve a pre-action notice.
The service stated, “The applicant is not entitled to the reliefs requested, and the suit should be dismissed with high costs for failure to comply with a condition antecedent.” (NAN)