A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and its Comptroller-General to return the international passport seized from a former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili to him. Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order yesterday in a judgment on a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Odili.

Justice Ekwo declared the seizure of Odili’s passport as illegal and unconstitutional.

“No citizen of this country should be treated like this, irrespective of class or social status,” the judge said and dismissed the objection raised by the respondents against the competence of the suit.

Justice Ekwo rejected the respondents’ claim that the name on the seized passport did not correspond with that of the applicant, saying such contention was an attempt to mislead the court.

He dismissed the respondents’ claim that Odili’s passport was seized upon a request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Read Also: Why we seized ex-Gov Odili’s passport, by Immigration Service

The judge averred that there were two extant judgments of the Federal High Court, delivered in 2007 and 2020, restraining the EFCC from either arresting or prosecuting Odili on issues relating to when he was the governor of Rivers State.

Justice Ekwo ordered the NIS to immediately “release and return the applicant’s international passport”.

The judge equally issued an order of perpetual injunction  restraining the respondents from further harassing, embarrassing, intimidating or interfering with the applicant’s right to move, freedom of movement inside and outside Nigeria in any manner whatsoever including interfering with his use of his international passport

He also ordered the respondents to write a written apology to the applicant for the embarrassment occasioned by the unlawful seizure of the applicant’s international passport, noting that “any action taken in disobedience of order of court lacks validity”.