19-yr-old Babcock student misses exam as EFCC detains her over her mum’s debt

Oluwateniola Omidiji, a 300-level nursing student of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, missed her exam after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested and detained her over an alleged debt her mother, Omoniyi Omidiji owed a business partner.

According to Leadership, the 19-year-old student was arrested on the university premises on Friday, April 26, 2024, by operatives of the commission from its Lagos Zonal Command over a business transaction her mother entered into in 2020.

In a fundamental rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/759/224, filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, Miss Omidiji alleged that she was taken hostage by EFCC operatives over a debt allegation one Charles Nwoko leveled against her mother, who is said to be a widow.

Nwoko, who alleged that he invested the sum of ₦100,000,000 into Mrs. Omidiji’s business sometime in 2020 went after her daughter for the sum and the interest since her business partner is out of the country.

However, the EFCC’s investigation has shown that four persons were named directors in Elisto Global Services Limited, a company Mrs. Omidiji allegedly used to receive the money from Nwoko.

Oluwateniola has cried out to the court for relief after her school was stormed by EFCC operatives while she was writing exams.

The operatives had reportedly laid siege to the school and took her away. Since then, she has remained in detention and has not been granted bail since then.

The EFCC reportedly insisted that since the 19-year-old student was named by her mother as a director of the company, she should answer for her mother’s presumed crime in the joint venture with Mr. Nwoko.

However, in the application to enforce her fundamental human rights filed by her lawyer, Chijioke Emeka, SAN, of Auxano Law, Oluwateniola contended that she was only 16-year-old when her mother entered into the partnership with Nwoko and she knew nothing about the deal.

She further contended that it was wrong for the EFCC to hold her hostage over a crime allegedly committed by her mother.

she also argued that the transaction was a civil matter and asked the court to order the EFCC to leave her out of the issue and pay her ₦10,000,000 as damages for the violation of her fundamental rights to human dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and freedom of movement.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.