Unlawful Detention: Court Slams N8m Fine On Bank

A high court sitting in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice George O. Omereji has slammed a fine of eight million naira (N8,000,000.00) only on Diamond Bank, Station Road Branch, Port Harcourt, for unlawful detention of Mr Neemene Peter Kpugisi, a staff of Nigeria Railway Corporation in Port Harcourt.
In the judgement order signed by Justice Omereji and made available to the Tide, the court ruled that the applicant, Mr Kpugisi Peter Neemene was unlawfully detained by Mr Smile Obas, a bank official with the Station Road Branch of Diamond and at the police cell by Inspector Ephraim Zaky Balat (IPO) of the state investigation and intelligence department (SIID), Port Harcourt from Tuesday the 14th of February 2017 to 15th of March 2017, without an order of court, leading to the infringement of the applicant’s fundamental rights guaranteed and protected under section 35(1) (4) and (5) and 34 (1) (a) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.
The judgement order stated that; “The sum of eight million naira, (N8,000,000,00) only be paid is hereby awarded to the applicant against the 3rd 8th and 4th respondents jointly and severally on the footing of exemplary damages for the unwanted and flagrant infringement of the applicant fundamental rights”.
The case with suit no PHC/200/2017 was between, Mr Neemene Peter Kpugisi as applicant and the Commissioner of Police Rivers State, Zaki Mohammed, Inspector Ephraim Zaky Balat (IPO SIID) at Hospital Road Police Station, Port Harcourt, Diamond Bank Plc, Station Road Branch, Port Harcourt, and Smile Obas, a bank official at the Station Road Branch of Diamond Bank as 1, 2, 3 and 4 respondents respectively.
An application for police protection to enforce the judgement order had been issued by the Assistant Chief Registrar of the Rivers State Judiciary Omubo Iriene.

Taneh Beemene