Court Fines Police N3m For Violation of Fundamental Right

An FCT High Court, Maitama on Tuesday ordered the police to pay N3 million to one Kingsley Efobi, for violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty.Efobi had on May 10, 2017, filed a suit against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, for violating his fundamental right.
Justice Jude Okeke, delivering judgment in the suit filed by Efobi, held that there was no basis for the court to disbelieve the evidence of the applicant, which was not contradicted by the respondents.
He held that in order to ensure that the applicant was protected from further violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty, in facts of this matter, the court would be minded in line with the provision of 46 (1) of the Constitution.
“There is no evidence by the respondents showing that they arrested and detained the applicant upon a reasonable suspicion of having committed a criminal offence.
“It is unconstitutional and, therefore, unlawful,’’ the judge said.
Okeke said that the applicant and two others were traders at Wuse Modern Market and deal in the bedspread and allied materials.
The applicant noted that the bedspread dealers bought in large quantities on debt from one Mad