Social Media personality, Ismaila Mustapha, alias Mompha, who is facing money laundering charges, has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to compel the anti-graft agency to pay him N5m for what he termed his “unlawful re-arrest and detention.”
Mompha, who is answering N32bn fraud charges, was re-arrested last Friday when he went to the EFCC office in Ikoyi, Lagos to reclaim his five wristwatches, one Apple Air pod, one iPhone 8 mobile phone and one pair of sunglasses seized from him by the anti-graft agency since last year.
The visit followed a July 24 ruling by Justice Mohammed Liman ordering the release of the seized items on the grounds that the EFCC did not list them as exhibits in court.
Following an application by his lawyer, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), Justice Mohammed Liman on July 24 ordered the EFCC to release the items to Mompha.
The judge ruled since the items were not listed as exhibits in the money laundering charges filed against Mompha, the EFCC had no justification to continue to hold onto them.
He dismissed the submission by the EFCC that Mompha was still under investigation for another offense, saying there was nothing before the court to back the submission.
“Failure to release the property is illegal. As of today, no charge has been file regarding the items. It is too long to withhold the applicant’s properties,” the judge had held.
It was gathered Mompha had barely left the premises of the EFCC office in Ikoyi after collecting the items on Friday when operatives of the anti-graft agency waylaid him and returned him into custody.