Court Orders Police To Pay N1m …For Unlawful Detention Of Three Suspects

A High Court Judge in Abuja, Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu, has ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Hafiz Ringim, to pay N1million to three suspects for unlawful detention.

The suspects are Chinonso Amadigwe, Osuji Christogonus and Celestine Anyanwu, all employees of Air Sea Freighters, a Port Harcourt-based company.

They were arrested on allegation of threatening the life of one Mr Enoch Iwueze.

Justice Ogakwu gave the order on Monday, while ruling in an application for the enforcement of fundamental rights filed by the suspects.

In the application, the suspects said  they were first arrested in Port Harcourt by officers from the office of the Chief of Army Staff on March 10 and were later released on June 11.

They further said that on July 31, they were handed over to officers in the IGP’s office by the State Security Service (SSS) in Umuahia, Abia.

The trio said that they had since been in detention at the Force CID Cell, Area 10, Abuja, without being charged to court.

Their counsel, Mr Ikechukwu Emeto, had filed a motion praying the court to declare their continuous detention as unlawful and for an injunction restraining the Police from further detaining them.

He also asked for N100 million as compensation.

In his ruling, Ogakwu declared that the arrest and continued detention of the suspects was illegal and a direct infraction of their rights to personal liberty.

He, therefore, ordered the immediate release of the suspects from police custody, and ordered that the IGP should pay the suspects N1 million as compensation.

Hon Legborsi Nwidadah representing Khana 1 constituency in Rivers State House of Assembly (right) welcoming King G.N.K.Giniwa, President, Ogoni Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers, to the coronation ceremony of Chief Peter Sorye Erelo-Kote as paramount ruler at Kpean, last Saturday.