By Queen Kunde
A legal firestorm is brewing between two of Nigeria’s top law enforcement agencies — the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police Force — over the arrest and continued detention of two suspects linked to a financial glitch involving Moniepoint Bank.
The suspects, Illesanmi Olaniyi and Ishola Maruf, were initially arrested by officers of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja on March 17, 2024, and granted administrative bail — a process still active according to their lawyer, Khadijah Bayern.
However, in a startling twist, Bayern has petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), accusing the EFCC of “double jeopardy” and intimidation after the agency detained the same individuals over the same case already being investigated by the police.
In her petition titled “Double Jeopardy and Intimidation,” Bayern noted that during the police probe, two vehicles — a Toyota Hilux and a Toyota RAV4 — along with goods, documents, and equipment were seized and are currently in police custody pending a court-ordered forfeiture process.
She expressed shock that despite the case being before the court, the EFCC’s Special Duty Section 2 (SDC2) not only invited the men but detained them for 12 days without bail.
“This amounts to double jeopardy,” Bayern wrote. “The EFCC is aware that the matter is under active investigation by the police. Re-arresting and detaining these men again on the same issue undermines the criminal justice process.”
She also raised health concerns, alleging that both suspects suffer from cardiovascular conditions and have required repeated medical attention at the EFCC clinic during their detention.
“They are not flight risks. They are medically unsound. Their continued detention poses a serious health risk,” Bayern warned, urging the AGF — Nigeria’s chief law officer — to step in and halt what she termed “overlapping arrests” on the same matter by different agencies.
In a follow-up letter dated July 29, 2025, addressed to the EFCC’s Director of SDC2, another lawyer representing the two men requested a review of the stringent bail terms, asking that civil servants on Grade Level 14 or 15 be accepted as sureties in light of their clients’ existing bail status and health issues.
The letter affirmed that the matter had already been extensively dealt with by the police, adding: “We assure you this request is made in good faith, and will not interfere with your ongoing investigation.”
As the legal tussle unfolds, observers are calling for better coordination between law enforcement agencies to avoid perceived duplication, human rights violations, and erosion of public trust.
Neither the EFCC nor the Nigeria Police had issued an official statement on the controversy as of press time.
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