BREAKING: Federal High Court Fines Patience Jonathan N500,000

Justice Saliu Seidu of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, has fined The wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience the sum of  N500,000 for withdrawing a suit instituted against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). 

Reports reveal that, in February 2017, Mrs Jonathan had instituted a suit against the EFCC in which she was seeking an order of the court for “enforcement of her fundamental rights to own property, fair hearing, human dignity, private and family life and freedom from discrimination”.

The former first lady through her counsel, Ifedayo Adedipe, had prayed the court to restrain the EFCC from infringing on her rights. Kayode Oni, counsel to the EFCC faulted the former first lady, arguing that her suit was “an abuse of court process”.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, July 3, Mrs Jonathan's lawyer Sammie Somiari addressed the court on a notice of discontinuance of the suit. 

Somiari said he had “an instruction” of his client to discontinue the matter, adding that an application had been filed before the court to that effect. Oni submitted that the former first lady had a right to discontinue the case, but insisted for a charge of N500,000 as costs of filing processes in response to the suit.

In a statement issued by the EFCC Head, Media & Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, Justice Seidu struck out the suit and awarded cost against the plaintiff.