An FCT High Court has ordered the EFCC to pay former power minister Olu Agunloye N10 million in damages and issue a public apology over a defamatory publication falsely linking him to a $6 billion fraud.
Court Orders EFCC to Pay Agunloye N10m
A court has handed the EFCC a costly lesson in accuracy. An FCT High Court ordered the anti-graft agency to pay former minister Olu Agunloye N10 million in damages over a defamatory publication, according to TheCable.
Justice Peter Kekemeke ruled that the EFCC’s headline, “EFCC arraigns Agunloye over $6 billion fraud,” was false, noting the word “fraud” appeared nowhere in Agunloye’s actual charge documents. The judge said the EFCC failed to prove the publication’s truth and found malice against the commission.
The court also ordered a retraction and public apology in two national newspapers. EFCC counsel Wahab Shittu confirmed the commission would appeal, arguing the suit was premature since Agunloye’s criminal case remains ongoing.
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