Suspected IPOB informant sues police, Malami over detention

Glory Okolie, the 22-year-old woman arrested by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), has instituted a suit against the police and Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, over her detention.

Okolie was arrested by the police in Imo state for allegedly being friends with a suspected member of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

She was later transferred to Abuja, despite efforts by her family members to secure his release.

After 66 days in detention, the police, in a statement on Sunday, said she was arrested for alleged membership of IPOB and for working with one Benjamin Uzoma Emojiri to attack officers and stations in Imo.

Her detention stirred public outcry as many Nigerians, including civil society organisations, have called for her release.

In the fundamental rights suit instituted at the high court of the federal capital territory (FCT) on August 23, Okolie joined Usman Baba, inspector-general of police (IGP), as second respondent; Tunji Disu, head of the IRT, as third respondents, while the police and Malami are first and fourth respondents, respectively.

Okolie asked the court to mandate the police, the IGP and the head of the IRT to pay the sum of N100 billion as “general and punitive” damages for “infringing” on her fundamental human rights.

She also asked the court to mandate Malami to pay N50 million for “recklessness, bias, malice, failure to perform its statutory duty” when the other respondents infringed on her rights.

In the suit, Okolie declared that her alleged use as a cook by the officers of the IRT while in custody is illegal and unconstitutional.

“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021 till date, without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004,” the court documents seen by TheCable read.

“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021, and beyond 71 (seventy one) days till date ,without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004

“A DECLARATION that the beating/slapping, torturing, physical assault and verbal/vulgar abuse of the Applicant by the 1st Respondent and the respondents IGP IRT officers, without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.

“A DECLARATION that the usage of the Applicant by the respondent IGP IRT officers by sexually assaulting the 1st applicant, usage of the 1st applicant to wash the respondent officers clothes and usage of the applicant to cook for the respondents IGP IRT officers ,even when the applicant was in the illegal custody of the respondent, and without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in Section 35 & 36 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the 1st to 3rd Respondents to pay the Applicant the sum of N100,000,000 000, (One hundred billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on the rights of the applicant.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the 4th Respondents to pay the Applicant the sum of N50,000,000 (Fifty Million Naira) as punitive damages for its recklessness bras, malice, failure to perform its statutory duty when the 1st to 3rd Respondents officers within his knowledge, wholly infringed on the fundamental rights of the Applicant in this regard.”