The embattled Senior Advocate Nigeria (SAN), Rickey Tarfa on Wednesday withdrew the N5 billion suit he filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos against MTN communications Limited and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) over alleged violation of his right to privacy.
Others joined in the suit are the EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, Femi Falana (SAN) and Mrs. Rashidatou Abdou.
Tarfa had filed the suit after he was arrested on February 5 by EFCC operatives in the premises of the Lagos State High Court for allegedly hiding two criminal suspects in his car to evade arrest.
In the originating motion on notice, the applicant had sought 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 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.
The senior lawyer also 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 is unlawful.
When the case came up on Wednesday, a lawyer from the chamber of Tarfa, O. Oladele came up with an ex-parte motion to discontinue the case but he gave no reason why the case was withdrawn.
Following the withdrawal of the suit the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris awarded a punitive cost of N10, 000 against Tarfa in favour of the respondents.
Meanwhile EFCC lawyers, Wahab Shittu and Rotimi Oyedepo were not against the withdrawal.
