Head of the Accounts for Dangote Refinery Limited, Mrs Martina Amosu, has dragged her employer to court, demanding N100 million as damages for alleged wrongful detention.
Joined as co -respondent in the suit filed before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to an affidavit sworn to by the applicant’s father, Martin Ushie and filed before the court by a Lagos lawyer, Barrister Temitope Elusogbon, the deponent averred that her daughter was employed as head of the Accounts for Dangote Refinery Limited and has been acting in that capacity since 2011.
He added that in the course of her employment, the company periodically pays money into her personal account for onward disbursements to external contractors/beneficiaries and other people in accordance with the company’s instructions.
The applicant’s father averred that early this year, the company complained that there was double approval to pay contractors and this led to double payment, as a result of which the company instructed the contractors who had been overpaid to remit the excess payment back into the applicant’s account.
Consequent upon this directive, some of the contractors complied, while others are yet to do so.
Thereafter, Dangote Refinery Company instructed the applicant to forward details of her personal account for scrutiny which she declined as the details of her personal bank account is personal and private information which the company has no right to request or demand.
In the light of this, the company was said to have laid a complaint with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleging that she had diverted its funds.
On Friday 30th of June 2017, the applicant said she was arrested while the defendant forcefully entered her house threatened and harassed members of her family, while her house was searched without warrant,
It was also averred that the applicant’s husband was threatened with arrest while the applicant had since been detained in the custody of EFCC till date.
The applicant ‘s lawyer, Elusogbon said to have requested for bail on her behalf on Saturday 1st of July, 2017 but that when the bail conditions were given, they were outrageous, unfavorable and impossible for the applicant to meet.
Consequently, Elusogbon asked the commission that the bail conditions to be varied, but it was alleged that the EFCC stated that before the bail conditions could be varied, the applicant must pay the sum of N34 million which must be done via bank draft.
Ushie averred further that the money paid into the personal account of the applicant by the company were disbursed in line with the instructions of the company, but the company has refused to carry out reconciliation of its account and the monies disbursed rather they were trying to intimidate or coerce the applicant into paying for their mistakes.
Ushie also averred that, her daughter told her that all the documents relevant to a proper reconciliation of the accounts are with the company, while reconciliation remains the only way the matter can be resolved and not keeping her in the EFCC cell at Ikoyi.
Consequently, the applicant is urging the court not only to declare her arrest and detention illegal, but to also declare that the bail conditions stipulated by the EFCC are unfair and unreasonable.
In addition, the applicant is demanding the sum of N100 million as damages for the trauma caused by the action of the respondents.
She also urged the court to order her release from the custody of EFCC on such terms as may be specified by the court.
When the case was mentioned, the presiding judge, Professor Chuka Obiozor adjourned hearing till Wednesday even as he ordered the applicant to serve all the court process on both the EFCC and Dangote company.[myad]
