Daud Olatunji
Lawyers representing a former chairwoman of the committee responsible for the sale of Federal Government houses in Abuja, Folashade Oketope, and a Federal Capital Territory Administration staff member, Mohammed Kabir Usman, have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to remove their clients’ names and photographs from media publications relating to their ongoing corruption trial.
The lawyers accused the anti-graft agency of exposing the defendants to public condemnation by publishing their identities in connection with the allegations before a court of competent jurisdiction had determined their guilt.
In a letter dated October 13, 2026, and addressed to the EFCC chairman, the law firm, J Aboje & Co., also known as Compass Chambers, described the publications as an infringement on their clients’ constitutional right to the presumption of innocence and their dignity.
The letter, obtained by SaharaReporters, was a reminder of an earlier correspondence dated July 28, 2026, concerning the publication of the defendants’ arraignment.
Titled, “Wrongful Publication of the Arraignment of Mrs Folasade Oketope and Mohammed Kabir Usman in Various Media by the Commission for Purposes of Raising an Imputation That They Have Been Found Guilty by a Court,” the petition called on the commission to withdraw the publications from all platforms where they appeared.
The lawyers maintained that their clients had yet to be convicted and should not be subjected to public judgment while the criminal proceedings remained pending.
Oketope and Usman were arraigned by the EFCC before the FCT High Court sitting in Jabi, Abuja, on July 13, 2026, on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, breach of trust, corruption and the unlawful sale of government properties.
The allegations concern the sale of Houses 3, 4, 7 and 8, located at Plot 756, Abubakar Usman Crescent, Jabi, Abuja, to members of the public.
Oketope was the former chairwoman of the committee responsible for the sale of Federal Government houses in Abuja, while Usman was an FCTA staff member seconded to the committee.
The defence lawyers also drew attention to a separate suit, FCT/HC/CV/4094/2025, which they said was pending before the court when their clients were arraigned.
According to the petition, the separate suit sought a determination of whether the properties were Federal Government assets that could lawfully be disposed of by the committee and whether their sale to the purchasers was legal.
The lawyers argued that the unresolved questions surrounding the ownership and disposal of the properties made it inappropriate to portray their clients as criminals before the conclusion of the trial.
Expressing displeasure over the EFCC’s actions, the law firm questioned the commission’s decision to publish the defendants’ names and photographs without first obtaining the court’s permission.
“We are befuddled by the conduct of the Commission and its operatives in publishing the faces and names of our clients when your Commission did not seek and obtain the leave/permission of the Court before which our clients were arraigned to make the disparaging publication,” the lawyers wrote.
They further questioned whether the EFCC would apologise and retract the publications if the defendants were eventually acquitted.
The lawyers warned that associating their clients’ identities with allegations of corruption could damage their reputations, regardless of the eventual outcome of the proceedings.
They urged the EFCC chairman to direct the immediate removal of the publications, insisting that the defendants should be allowed to face trial without being publicly portrayed as guilty.
The petition stated that the commission could publicise the defendants’ identities if they were eventually convicted of the offences for which they had been charged.
“If our clients are found guilty, the Commission can publish their faces and names to the whole world as having been found guilty for the crimes for which they were charged,” the letter stated.
The lawyers’ demand has brought renewed attention to the balance between the EFCC’s responsibility to inform the public about its anti-corruption activities and the rights of individuals facing criminal prosecution.
While the commission routinely announces arrests, investigations and court proceedings involving suspected financial crimes, the defendants’ lawyers contend that the manner in which such information is presented should not suggest that a conviction has already been secured.
The EFCC’s response to the petition, including whether it will remove the disputed publications, remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
SaharaReporters said it contacted the commission’s spokesperson for comments on the allegations, but he had not responded to messages sent to him as of the time of publication.
However, a senior EFCC official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, confirmed that the commission had received the petition.
“It is true we have received their petitions and our legal team are reviewing it,” the official said.
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