Court orders EFCC to pay N10 million for defamation

A Nigerian court has ordered the country's anti-corruption agency to pay damages and publicly apologize for defaming a former government minister. On Wednesday, Justice Peter Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) published false and defamatory statements about former Minister of Power Dr. Olu Agunloye.

The court found the EFCC liable for a publication on its official website and X social media account titled "EFCC arraigns Agunloye over 6bn fraud." Justice Kekemeke declared the post false and defamatory, stating it damaged Agunloye's reputation by portraying him as corrupt and fraudulent. The judge ordered the EFCC to retract the publication and issue a public apology on its website and in two national newspapers. The court also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the commission from further defamatory publications against Agunloye and awarded him 10 million naira in damages.

The ruling stemmed from a 10-billion-naira defamation lawsuit filed by Agunloye against the EFCC. In his judgment, Justice Kekemeke held that the publication contained all the necessary elements of defamation, as...