Rights suit: FUOYE VC, Police to settle out of court

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina and the Nigeria Police on Wednesday resolved to settle out of court over a suit filed by the VC, urging a Federal High Court, Lagos division to protect his fundamental human rights against an alleged abuse by the officials of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) who invaded the premises of FUOYE last year June.

The SFU officials had invaded the university with an alleged plot to arrest the VC on trumped up allegation without recourse to due process and the rule of law.

Following this alleged breach, Prof. Fasina sued the Nigeria police for allegedly tramping on his fundamental human rights by attempting to illegally and forcefully arrest him in his office on the premises of the University in Oye-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State on 17th June, 2021.

However, their alleged invasion of the university  caused a stir as members of the university community believed bandits had attempted to abduct the VC.

While the VC had accused the SFU operatives of attempt to illegally arrest and or kidnap him, the officials had denied the claim, insisting that they merely wanted to serve the university’s Chief Executive a letter of invitation for questioning over spurious allegations against him.

Meanwhile, the VC, had, through his legal counsel, Ebun Olu- Adegboruwa, SAN, replied the SFU, saying the allegations of criminal acts of money laundering, double salaries and official misconduct as levelled against the VC by a faceless group, Global Anti-Corruption Initiatives, were untrue, baseless, and unfounded and merely trumped up to defame the character of the VC.

During the hearing of the case on Wednesday, Adegboruwa informed Justice Aneke of the Federal High Court that his legal team and that of the police had found a common ground on which they would settle the legal rift.

He said: “My Lord, we have been able to find a common ground with my learned colleagues and we plead that you will give us some time to perfect this new agreement. We are already exploring a common ground for possible resolution. We pray that your Lordship graciously grant us time to consolidate on these efforts. ”

Responding, lawyer to the SFU, Agu, said: “l can confirm that we are trying to get a common ground to resolve this matter sir.”

After hearing parties in the matter, the judge adjourned further hearing in the case to 20th June, 2022.