The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by 161 individuals, including four Chinese nationals and several Nigerians, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged violations of their fundamental rights during an internet fraud investigation.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho said the suit lacked merit.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/80/2025, was thrown out after the judge found that the EFCC followed due legal process in arresting and detaining the suspects.
According to the judgment, the EFCC obtained two separate remand orders allowing it to hold the suspects between January 9 and January 31 while investigations continued.
The court ruled this was not a violation of their rights. Justice Omotosho also upheld the seizure of their passports during the investigation as lawful.
The EFCC argued that after the remand period, the suspects were offered administrative bail, and those who met the conditions were released.
The court noted that even the applicants acknowledged these facts in their sworn affidavits.
The suit was filed on January 17 by senior lawyer Ishaka Dikko (SAN) on behalf of the applicants.
The four Chinese nationals — Zhang Xiaowen, Liu Zhiwei, Chen Yeqiu, and Lan Shunbin — were listed among the first applicants.
The remaining were Nigerian employees of Venus Spark Impact Media Ltd, the company where the EFCC conducted a raid.
Dikko sought court declarations that the detention from January 9 to January 16 without a fresh court order, and the seizure of the suspects’ passports, violated their constitutional rights. He also requested N5 billion in damages.
In response, the EFCC stated that the suspects were allegedly involved in internet scams that posed a threat to national security, with the National Security Adviser also part of the investigation.
The agency argued that the large number of suspects made it impossible to finish investigations within the initial remand period.
Justice Omotosho concluded that the suspects’ rights under Chapter 4 of the Constitution were not violated.
He emphasized that fundamental rights are not absolute, especially when national security and public interest are at stake.
The judge said the EFCC acted within the law, and the continued detention of suspects who hadn’t met bail conditions was not the agency’s fault.
He declared, “This case is bound to fail, and it has failed.”
The case was subsequently dismissed.