The trial court made this known in a ruling on an application for the enforcement of Ikenga’s Fundamental Human Rights.
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja High Court has ordered the Imo State Government, the Nigerian Police Force, and other security operatives to pay N5 million in damages to opposition coalition spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, for framing him for arson, murder, and terrorism.
The trial court made this known in a ruling on an application for the enforcement of Ikenga’s Fundamental Human Rights.
Ikenga, who is also the Peoples Democratic Party's candidate for the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, asked the court to dismiss the false allegations because they were all politically motivated and lacked evidence and to protect his fundamental right to free expression.
He contended that the false allegations were cooked in the Imo State Government House as a plot to stop him from further exposing the manipulation of the voter register by officials of the Imo State Government for which the Independent National Electoral Commission has deleted millions of fake registrations and about 13 of its staff are undergoing disciplinary action.
The court, therefore, enjoined the defendants, which included the Attorney-General of Imo State, the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police, and Director General of State Security Services, from further intimidating, harassing, embarrassing, inviting, arresting or detaining opposition spokesman Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere based on any issues connected to the false accusations, which included the allegations of murder, robbery, arson, hacking in, and more.
The court also declared that the compromise of the voters register was a threat to democracy and awarded the applicant five million naira only in general and exemplary damages against the defendants jointly and severally.
It also voided the police investigation report from October 18, 2022, and the charge in Charge No. OW/651/2022.