Woman Demands N350m from DSS, Lebanese Businessman over Illegal Detention

A single mother of one, Ms Odegua Okojie, has taken the Department of State Security (DSS) and a Lebanese businessman to court for illegally detaining her for nine days

In a suit filed at the Federal High Court Benin, the applicant claimed that during the detention, she was denied access to her lawyer, her two-year-old daughter and family members in addition of and her mobile phone that was seized throughout the period she was detained.

Joined in the suit No. FHC/B/ CS/120/2019, are the Director General, Directorate of State Security Service, Director, Edo Command of the DSS and Charles Makhoul, a Lebanese businessman.

Odegua who said she was first taken into DSS facility in Benin before she was whisked to Abuja without her knowing the offence she has committed.

She said in the night she was taken into custody, her daughter of two years cried and wandered about all through the night before she was picked at the road side by her school teacher who came to pick her for school the following morning.

She said at the DSS facility in

Abuja, under video recording, she was forced to accept the sum of N6 million as compensation for the atrocities melted on her by the Lebanese businessman whom she had lived with as a minor to her adult age.

She said that the illegal detention from July 9 to 16, 2019, was not only an infringement in her fundamental human rights, but also unlawful and unconstitutional.

She subsequently demanded for N300 million as compensation/ damages over the violation of her fundamental rights by the 1st to 3rd respondents.

The applicant is also asking the court to award her N50 million as exemplary damages for the unlawful and unwarranted infraction on her rights. When the case came up for hearing yesterday before Justice M. G. Umar, counsel to the 3rd respondents, (Lebanese Businessman), J. O. Bisan, filed two applications requesting for extension of time to enable him file a counter affidavit to the application file by the applicant since the extension of time provided by the court rules had expired.

The applications were granted by Justice Umar after counsel to the applicant, Mr. T. A. Akahomen, and counsel to the 1st and 2nd respondent (DSS), Mrs O. A. Odigie did not object to the request.