The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Maitama, Abuja has dismissed a N20 million fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Mrs. Christiana Dagogo-George, Project Manager of Wiseworld Firm Consult Limited, had instituted the suit before Justice U.P. Kekemeke, alleging that her fundamental rights were violated when she was arrested and detained by the ICPC between October 17 and 19, 2022.

According to court documents, Dagogo-George's arrest was connected to a contract awarded to her company by the Nigeria Police Trust Fund in June 2022. The ICPC, during its investigation into contracts awarded under the tenure of former acting Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, Mr. Mohammed Alhaji Yahaya, discovered alleged irregularities in the execution of these contracts.

Contract Irregularities Uncovered

The anti-corruption agency revealed that Dagogo-George had secured eight training contracts through eight separate companies allegedly linked to her. Each contract was valued at N36,964,441, with training sessions meant to take place in eight different locations across Nigeria.

However, the ICPC's investigation found that all eight companies were owned by Dagogo-George, and despite full payment totaling over N100 million being made to each company, the training only took place in three out of the eight designated locations.

In its counter-affidavit, the ICPC stated: "After payment was made to the Applicant in respect of the eight locations, the training sessions were subsequently merged into three locations, and the funds meant for the remaining five locations were diverted to personal use by the Applicant."

Bail Violations Alleged

The ICPC denied breaching Dagogo-George's fundamental rights, stating that she was granted bail on the same day she presented herself for questioning. However, the Commission alleged that she violated the bail conditions by failing to respond to subsequent invitations.

According to the ICPC, following repeated efforts to secure her cooperation, she eventually reported back, but her bail was revoked. She was later granted fresh bail under new terms, which she reportedly failed to meet until January 18–19, 2023.

Evidence presented before the court showed that Dagogo-George had undertaken to refund part of the unutilized funds, amounting to N10 million.

Court's Ruling

In his ruling, Justice Kekemeke held that the applicant failed to prove that her right to personal liberty had been violated during her detention. The court further noted that a lawful invitation for investigation purposes does not constitute a breach of fundamental rights.

"I have also carefully examined the documents attached to the Applicant's Written Address. They are a mere surplusage. They carry no legal weight before this Court and are hereby discountenanced. In totality, the Applicant has not made out a case for the grant of the reliefs sought. The application fails and is hereby dismissed," Justice Kekemeke ruled.

This case highlights ongoing efforts by the ICPC to investigate alleged corruption in the management of public funds, particularly within government agencies and parastatals.