The fundamental rights enforcement case filed by Ms Glory Okolie and supported by more than 51 civil society groups was fixed for judgement today being 23rd June 2022.
As you can recall, Glory Okolie was arrested by the police and detainedby the IGP IRT Unit of Nigeria Police for over 150 days on allegations of spying for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr appeared for Glory
Okolie in the case filed at the FCT High Court, before Justice Y Haliru.
The suit filed by Okolie is asking the court to mandate the respondents being the AGF and Nigeria Police to pay her the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One hundred billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on her rights.
The reliefs and prayer in the said suit read thus:
“A Declaration of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021 till date, without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004,” the court document read.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1ST applicant from the 13th June 2021,and beyond 71 (seventy one) days till date ,without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“A DECLARATION that the beating/slapping, torturing, physical assault and verbal/vulgar abuse of the Applicant by the 1st Respondent and the respondents igp irt officers, without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“A DECLARATION that the usage of the Applicant by the respondent IGP IRT officers by sexually assaulting the 1st applicant, usage of the 1st applicant to wash the respondent officers clothes and usage of the applicant to cook for the respondents IGP IRT officers ,even when the applicant was in the illegal custody of the respondent, and without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in Section 35 & 36 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the Respondent to desist from engaging in untoward, violent and irrational conducts against the 1st Applicant.
“AN Order of this honourable court, granting bail to the 1st applicant on liberal terms to wit: unconditionally and conditionally pending the time the respondent deem it fit, to charge the 1st applicant to court in this regard.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One Hundred Billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on the rights of the 1st applicant.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) as punitive damages for its recklessness, bias, malice, failure to perform its statutory duty when the Respondents officers within his knowledge, wholly infringed on the fundamental rights of the 1st Applicant in this regard.”
According to the court document, Okolie, aged 21, went missing on June 13, 2021, while running an errand in Imo state, “and never returned home on that day”.
The suit filed in affidavit form read in part, “That from the 17th June 2021, the family members of Glory Okolie started making all frantic search of the 1st applicant in hospitals, churches, and mosque, all to no avail.
“That the family members, in search of the 1st applicant actually approached the Owerri Command of Nigeria Police Force, who charged the uncle of the 1st applicant, the sum of N50,000,00k to track vide telephone tracking the last known address of the 1st applicant.
“That the phone tracking above showed that the 1st applicant was detained by the respondent IGP IRT officers at their Owerri Tiger base unit of the respondent, and when the uncle approached this office, the respondent Owerri Tiger base unit denied ever seeing glory okolie.
Further the FCT High Court presided over by Justice Y Halilu in granting the originating motion and reliefs filed by glory okolie awarded a total sum of #60,000,000, (sixty million naira) in punitive and general damages caused to Glory Okolie by the police and granted every reliefs in the said Glory Okolie case.
The legal representative and lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr, thanked the industry of the FCT High Court and every civil society involved in the case, including Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor of One Love Foundation, Jungle Journalist Media Limited, and Sahara Reporters.