Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Rickey Tarfa and has decided to sue telecommunications company MTN, over what he termed as act of violation of his rights to privacy.
Also sued are: the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, Mrs. Rashidatou Abdou and and fellow SAN, Femi Falana SAN.
In the originating motion on notice brought pursuant to section 37 of the 1999 constitution, and filed before a Federal High court in Lagos, the applicant is seeking the court for an order declaring that the unauthorized act of using his iPhone 6 with mobile number 08034600000 in calling one Alhaji Ado in Kaduna on mobile number 08061272929 on February 9, 2016 while the said phone was with Magu and the agency without any reasonable cause or any court order is unlawful, wrongful, illegal and a gross violation of his rights.
Specifically, the applicant asked the court to declare that the unauthorized act of accessing his bank details, clients information, private and confidential information contained in his iPhone 6 with number 08034600000 and Samsung 6 phone with number 08077341616 by EFCC and Magu without any reasonable cause or any court order is unlawful, wrongful, illegal and a gross violation of his fundamental rights.
Besides, Rickey Tarfa asked the court to declare that the unauthorized act of accessing the phone call records/call log of his phone with mobile number 08034600000 by the respondents and forwarding same to Sahara Reporters and other online news agencies without any reasonable cause, or any court order is unlawful, wrongful, illegal and a gross violation of his rights under the constitution.
The matter has not been assigned to any judge.
EFCC had arrested Tarfa over allegation that on February 5, 2016, he hid two suspects, Nazaire Sorou Gnanhoue and Modeste Finagnon, both Beninoise in his Mercedes Benz Sports Utility car, thereby shielding them from being arrested and willfully obstructing the course of justice.
The suspects were alleged to have fraudulently converted some sophisticated manufacturing equipment belonging to Rana Prestige Nigeria Limited for their own use.
They are also being investigated for alleged tax evasion running into millions of naira.
In the process, the EFCC seized Tarfa’s phones and his Mercedes SUV.
Tarfa was alleged to have prevented two operatives of the EFCC who were officially detailed to effect their arrest from carrying out his statutory duties.