MEET FRANK OSHANUGOR
By Frank Oshanugor
A Professor of English Language and Literary Studies at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Chijioke Uwasomba, has dragged one Colonel Abubakar Alkali, of the Special Investigation Bureau, Nigeria Army Military Police, to a high court of the Federal Capital Territory.
The University lecturer who is also a human rights activist is accusing the army officer of harassment and violation of his fundamental human rights.
He also demanded the sum of N10 million as exemplary damages for threat to arrest him by the police at the instance of the colonel.
Copies of the necessary documents filed in court were made available on Tuesday to AtlanticNewsonline, though no date has been fixed for hearing of the case, as it has not yet been assigned to a judge. The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, was also listed as second respondent in the suit marked W/7744/23.
The plaintiff in a Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement filed by his lawyers, Onyeisi Chiemeke and Abdul Mahmud, said he got invitations with threats of arrest from the police following an alleged breach of agreement by the respondent.
Uwasomba, therefore demanded, among others, “the sum of N10 million as exemplary damages for the said wrongful invitation” and threat to arrest him by the personnel of the police at the instance of Colonel Alkali for no legal justification.
He also demanded a declaration that the orders for his invitation and arrest by the police and its agents “based on the misleading information” by Alkali of a business transaction (agency relationship) between
them was wrong, unlawful, illegal and a violation of his fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement as
guaranteed by Sections 35, 41 and 44 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Article 6, 12 and 14 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The OAU lecturer has therefore asked the court to restrain the respondent, its servants, agents and/or privies, jointly or severally, or any law enforcement agency acting pursuant to their instructions from threatening, harassing, arresting or detaining him and members of his family based on the complaint of the first respondent, in violation of his rights to dignity of human person, personal liberty, freedom of movement and right to work guaranteed by Sections 34, 35, 37 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and Articles 5, 6 12 & 15 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act) (Cap. A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The activist also asked the court to declare that the first and second respondents were not empowered by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or any other statute or instrument to threaten, harass, arrest or detain him in violation of his Fundamental Rights to dignity of human person, personal liberty, freedom of movement and right to work guaranteed by Sections 35, 37 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and Articles 5, 6 12 and 15 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act) (Cap. A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 over a commercial or third party commercial transactions.
