A former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili has regained his seized passport from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) after he floored the government agency in court.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo had ordered NIS and its Comptroller-General to return Dr. Odili’s international passport with immediate effect.
Justice Ekwo gave the order on Monday in a judgment on a fundamental rights enforcement suit by the plaintiff.
The judge said the seizure of Odili’s passport is unconstitutional and a breach of his human rights and freedom of movement.
The Nigerian Immigration claimed to have seized the passport following a request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the grounds that Odili was on its watch list.
More details will follow shortly…