Igboho drags FG to court, demands N5.5bn as damages for house invasion

Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba nation agitator better known as Sunday Igboho, has sued the federal government over the invasion of his house, demanding N5.5 billion in damages.

The Ibadan home of Igboho was invaded by personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) on July 1. Two persons were killed and 12 others were arrested during the incident.

Igboho, who claimed to be in the house at the time of the invasion, was not found by the DSS.

He was however arrested with his wife at the Cardinal Bernardin International Airport, Cotonou, Benin Republic on Monday. He was subsequently arraigned before a judge at Cour De’appal De Cotonou.

In a notice of application filed by Yomi Aliyu, his lawyer, at the Ibadan high court, Igboho said his fundamental human rights were trampled upon by the government.

He joined the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and DSS as co-defendants.

The application read in part: “The invasion and malicious damage of the applicant’s residence and properties therein at about 1am to 3am by the 2nd and 3rd respondents is a violation of the applicant’s fundamental right to his privacy and that of his home as guaranteed and protected by sections 37, 43 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement)g, Act, LFN, 2010.

“That the respondents resolute in preventing the applicant from propagating his belief in association with other like minds in creating a Yoruba Nation and/or Oduduwa Republic for his indigenous Yoruba people and hunting him with gun, with a view to arresting him dead or alive when he has not called for war in achieving same is against his fundamental rights to freedom of thought since campaign for self-determination is recognised by Nigerian law and international treaties of organisations to which Nigeria belongs.

“An order of this honourable court awarding the sum of N5 billion being exemplary and/or aggravated damages for breaching the applicant’s fundamental rights in the course of illegal and/or malicious invasion of his residence.”

The application also prayed the court to direct the respondents to tender a public apology in two national dailies for breaching the fundamental rights of Igboho.