An Oyo state High Court sitting in Ibadan, Friday ordered the Federal Government of Nigeria to pay the sum of N20billion to Chief Sunday Adeyemo also known as Igboho as damages for the invasion of his residence.
The court also dismissed an application filed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, challenging its jurisdiction to hear allegations against Nigerian government agencies.
The court was expected to deliver judgement or ruling on the N500 billion fundamental human rights case instituted by the Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho against the Nigerian Government and Department of State Services (DSS).
Igboho through his lawyer, Yomi Alliyu, filed a suit challenging the invasion of his house in Ibadan on July 1 by operatives of the DSS, also known as the State Security Service (SSS) or secret police.
Igboho is, among others, seeking an order of the court to declare the invasion of his residence by DSS operatives as illegal and an infringement on his fundamental human rights. The three respondents are Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as the first respondent, SSS as the second respondent and Director of SSS in Oyo State as the third respondent.
Counsel for the AGF, Abubakar Abdullahi had filed an application challenging the ability of a state High Court to hear the activities of Nigerian government agencies. But citing several judgements by the Supreme and Appeal courts in respect of the ability of the state high court to hear such cases, Justice Ladiran Akintola said the invasion of the house of the applicant violated his fundamental human rights as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as ammended.
“Unfortunately, this court is not a Father Christmas and cannot award the sum of N500 billion as requested by the applicant but the court retrained the respondent from arresting or harassing the applicant. He has right to his free movement as contain in section 35.1 (a)(b) of the 1999 constitution as amended.”
