The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has dismissed a request by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, to ban public officials from seeking medical treatment abroad, stating that such a move would infringe on fundamental rights.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Polycarp Terna Kwahar ruled that preventing public officers from seeking medical attention outside Nigeria would be an unjust restriction on their fundamental rights.
“It will be an infringement or breach on the fundamental rights of Nigerians—be they public officers or not—to prevent them from seeking medical attention outside Nigeria when the need arises, and it will therefore be draconian to grant the request,” Justice Kwahar stated.