Court Releases Few IPOB Supporters, Fines Police N130 Million for Damages and compensation
Few of Nnamdi Kanu’s supporters have been exonerated by an Abuja Federal High Court. Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
According to TheMedia, the court reportedly dismissed seven of Kanu’s followers in separate lawsuits and also punished security agents with fines of N130 million.
Justice M.O. Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja exonerated Maria Ezediaro “of all frivolous criminal allegations/charge brought against her before the court,” according to Kanu’s attorney, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, in the charge with the charge number “FHC/ABJ/CR/475/2021.”
Ejiofor, in a statement, said, “She was arrested on February 26, 2021, when she visited the State CID, Owerri, Imo State Command to give food and medication to her friend who was detained there, and was subsequently transferred to the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team detention facility in ‘Abattoir,’ Abuja, where she was subjected to all forms of inhuman treatment, severe torture and degradation.
“However, following the refusal of the police to release her or charge her to court, we filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit on her behalf before the Federal High Court Abuja.
“Still on our application, she was granted bail by the court on April 21, 2022, and consequently released to us upon perfection of the bail conditions.
” On October 10, 2023, following our application and submissions before the court, the Federal High Court, Abuja, per Hon. Justice M.O. Olajuwon, struck out the four counts of terrorism filed against Mrs Maria Ezediaro and consequently discharged her.”
Additionally, he added that Pastor of the Holy Trinity Sabbath Church in Orlu, Imo State, Cletus Nwachukwu Egole, along with his wife Ifeyinwa Egole, a prophet of the Jewish faith named Michael Uba, Ugochukwu Samuel, and Raphael Idang, were all released by Justice V. S. Gaba of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.
He declared, “The court also awarded them N100m in compensatory damages against the police. “.
According to Ejiofor, who described the circumstances of their arrest, they were detained on March 21, 2021, paraded by the Imo State Command of the Nigerian Police, and then taken to the detention facility for the IGP Intelligence Response Team in “Abattoir,” Abuja.
Ngozichukwu Ada-Dav was also granted release by Justice Z. B. Abubakar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who also granted her N30 million in compensatory damages.
She was taken to the IGP/IRT in Ikeja GRA in June 2021 by a group of heavily armed members of the Nigeria Police Force, where she was held against her will until July 3, 2021, when she was transferred to the Garki Command, also known as the Abattoir.
