Court orders IGP to pay N4m for rights violation

An FCT High Court sitting in Maitama yesterday ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris to pay N1million each to four men for violation of fundamental rights.

The suit brought by the four men, Ozor Okolocha, Elvis Obiaku, Edward Onyenoknone and Imoni Micah had the IGP and the FCT Commissioner of Police as respondents.

The trial judge, Justice Jude Okeke in his judgment held that the applicants were continuously detained by the respondents at Keffi prisons, without remand order renewal (14 days after the expiration of an earlier remand order) and without charges preferred against them.

“This is a gross violation of their fundamental rights as provided by the provisions of section 35 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

“As compensation for the violation of their fundamental rights, N1million should be paid to each of the applicants for the hardship and embarrassment suffered by them”, the judge ruled.

Justice Okeke also held that the detention of the applicants and violation of their rights to liberty were not justified by the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

He also ordered that the respondents should refrain from arresting the applicants over the issues in the suit.

The applicants were said to be arrested on Dec. 17, 2015 and Jan. 6, 2016 at their home town of Ase-Omuku in Ndokwa East LGA of Delta State and brought to Abuja by one Inspector Tony Alabi. They were thereafter detained at Keffi prison on remand order from an Abuja Magistrate Court.

However, at the expiration of the order, no renewal was made until April 5, when the suit of violation of fundamental human rights was filed before the high court.