Glory Okolie, a 21-year-old young woman arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) from Imo State has filed a case against the Nigerian Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja over her unlawful detention.
The police had arrested Okolie for allegedly being friends with a suspected member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). She was later transferred to Abuja, despite efforts by her family members to secure his release.
After more than 100 days in detention, the police, in one bogus statement in July 2021, said she was arrested for alleged membership of IPOB and for working with one Benjamin Uzoma Emojiri to attack officers and stations in Imo.
Her detention stirred public outcry as many Nigerians, including civil society organisations, called for her release. In the suit filed on August 24, Okolie asked the court to mandate the Nigerian government to pay the sum of N100 billion as “general and punitive” damages for “infringing” on her fundamental human rights. Alongside other reliefs, which include and are below:
A .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.
B. 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.
C.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 commiting 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.
D. 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 commiting 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.
E. AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the Respondent to desist
from engaging in untoward, violent and irrational conducts against the 1st
Applicant.
F. 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.
G. 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.
H. 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.
I. And for such further Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit.
Moreso in a hearing notice served by ECOWAS Court on the legal representative of One Love Foundation and one of Glory Okolie’s lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jr, the ECOWAS Court, which shall be sitting at Accra Ghana, will on 28th March 2022 now hear the case of the enslaved Glory Okolie in this regard.
Reacting, the president of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Eholor described the hearing of this case as timely and will in a nutshell seek redress for the young woman and other Nigerians whose rights have been continuously violated in Nigeria. He stated that the case will be prosecuted to its logical conclusion.
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