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Nigerian Court Awards N1Million To Businessman, Ojionu Paraded On TV By Police, Declares Media Trial Illegal

COURT

The court also declared as unconstitutional the arrest and media parade of a businessman, Victor Ojionu.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has charged the police and other law enforcement agencies to stop parading criminal suspects in their custody.

The court also declared as unconstitutional the arrest and media parade of a businessman, Victor Ojionu.

Ojionu was in 2019 arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), then led by disgraced cop, Abba Kyari at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for allegedly stealing over N500 million within the space of five years.

The Imo state-born businessman was also paraded by the police.

Ojionu through his attorney, Abubakar Marshal subsequently approached the Federal High Court in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/01/2020, seeking legal redress for his “unlawful arrest, handcuffing, detention and pre-trial media parade carried out on September 17, 2019, by men and officers of the IRT led by disgraced super cop Abba Kyari”.

The first respondent is the Inspector General of Police while the second respondent is the Attorney General of the Federation.

Ojionu had prayed the court, among others, to declare that “the arrest (without a warrant) of the Applicant by armed agents of the Respondents on September 17, 2019, is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates his fundamental right to personal liberty and presumption of innocence as enshrined in Section 35 and 36 respectively of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Articles 6 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

He also prayed the court for “a declaration that the handcuffing of the Applicant by Armed Agents of the Respondents on September 17, 2019, is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates his fundamental right to dignity of the human personas enshrined in Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Articles 4 and 5 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

Ruling on the case, Hon. Justice Zainab Abubakar declared the arrest without warrant, handcuffing and the pre-trial media parade of the businessman as illegal, null and void and in violation of Sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, and Articles 6,4,5 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights.

 

The Judge also made an order compelling some national dailies and blogs to pull down the defamatory publications.

 

The court then awarded one million Naira in favour of Ojionu for the unlawful violation of his rights.

 

 

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