Okolie was illegally detained and held in a cell by the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team unit of the Nigeria Police Force for more than 150 days on allegations of spying for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The fundamental rights enforcement case filed by Glory Okolie and supported by more than 51 civil society groups, came up for hearing on Tuesday
Okolie was illegally detained and held in a cell by the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team unit of the Nigeria Police Force for more than 150 days on allegations of spying for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, there was no legal representation for either the Nigeria Police Force or the Inspector General of Police, joined in the suit as the first and second respondents.
Also, there was no legal representation for the Attorney General of the Federation or DCP Tunji Disu, the IRT commander joined as the third and fourth respondents.
Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr appeared alone to represent Glory Okolie.
Ihensekhien Jnr urged the court to proceed with the hearing of the case, in view of service of hearing notices and originating process on all parties in this matter. The presiding judge, Justice Yesuf Haliyu of the FCT high court noted the same and allowed hearing in this regard.
The counsel further urged the court to take note of the June 13, 2021, illegal detention of Okolie till November 9, 2021, before she was arraigned by all the defendants in this matter.
He urged the court to grant all her claims including her N100 billion damages claims in the filed suit. The court then reserved the matter for judgement.
It should be noted that Glory Okolie in the case filed at the FCT high court is asking the court to mandate the respondents to pay her the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One hundred billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on her rights.
According to the court document, Okolie, 21, went missing on June 13, 2021, while running an errand in Imo state, “and never returned home on that day”.
The document reads in part, “That from the 17th June 2021, the family members started making all frantic search of the 1st applicant in hospitals, churches, and mosques, all to no avail.
“That the family members, in search of the 1st applicant actually approached the Owerri command of Nigeria Police Force, who charged the uncle of the 1st applicant, the sum of N50,000,00 to track vide telephone tracking the last known address of the 1st applicant.
“That the phone tracking above showed that the 1st applicant was detained by the respondent IGP IRT officers at their Owerri Tiger base unit of the respondent, and when the uncle approached this office, the respondent Owerri Tiger base unit denied.”