By THE Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Nigeria, has fined the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NOAC) N300 million over the illegal arrest and detention of a youth activist, Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie.
The activist was in detention for over two years.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Ebiyon Duke Charlie, in his ruling on the suit YHC/324/2022 on Monday declared that the claimant was forcefully imprisoned and should be awarded N300 million as compensation.
Speaking after the ruling, the counsel to the claimant, Ebipreye Sese Esq. expressed satisfaction at the favourable judgement.
The legal team after the judgement
“The case entirely was two: false imprisonment and malicious persecution, and the court successfully upheld the issue of false imprisonment, and on the malicious persecution was disagreed on, but it’s still a win win for the claimant”
“I’m believing strongly that justice seems to have been served. I appreciate the judiciary as a matter of fact that the judicial system in Nigeria is one that we can rely on in the dispensation of justice, and that we have achieved today.
“I’m well satisfied with the judgement because there must be an end to litigation.
“The court has come to its conclusion to uphold the claimant’s claim that he was forcefully imprisoned and he’s entitled to N300 million, it’s a good judgement.
“It is often said that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, this is one particular instance that has been established that indeed the judiciary is the hope of the people,” he enthused.
The claimant and Bayelsa youth activist, Comrade Opumie, also said he was satisfied with the judgement because his rights were trampled upon, adding that he was denied medical attention and violation of his rights.
“I am happy even when all our expectations were not met, I thank all those who stood by me, the traditional rulers and my lawyer for standing by the truth”.
Recall Comrade Opumie, in a statement of claims, had accused the DSS in Yenagoa of allegedly abducting him at the instance of NAOC in a gestapo style, physically and mentally tortured him, tied and threw him into the booth of a vehicle and took him to Abuja like a common criminal without the knowledge of his family and access to medical care.
Opumie had filed a suit against his illegal arrest and detention with demands for the sum of N9 billion in damages.
He also prayed the court to declare that his arrest, torture and subsequent detention without proper food and medical attention and access to family members for two years were tantamount to false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.
In his eight prayers before the court, Opumie sought the order of the court against the defendants jointly and severally “for damages suffered as a result of the false imprisonment for two (2) years under the custody of the DSS (2nd set of defendants) in their prison facilities without bail or arraignment in a court of law at the instance of the Agip (1st set of defendants) false and malicious complaints/reports against him.
“An injunction restraining the 2nd and 3rd set of defendants from further harassing or attempts to arrest and detain the claimant at the instance of the 1st set of defendants.”
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