By Bisi ABASS
Chief Sunday Igboho (Adeyemo), the arrowhead for Yoruba Nation agitation, has filed a N500 billion suit against the Department of State Services (DSS) and Abubakar Malami (SAN), Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.
Reason for his action: The invasion of his Ibadan residence, on 1 July 2021, when his wife, many of his supprters and other were arrested. Apart from the persons that died, DSS, that day, in a show of chivalry, arrested a cat, thinking it must be their quarry who transformed to the animal!
In an application filed on his behalf by his lawyers at the Oyo State High Court Igboho is seeking for an order enforcing his fundamental human rights.
The suit, according to his lawyers, derived from Order 11, Order XI and XIL of the fundamental human rights enforcement procedure rules 2009, and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court as preserved by section 6 of the 1999 constitution.
In the suit, Igboho, through his lawyer, Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), is “seeking orders declaring the invasion as a violation of his fundamental human rights, damage of his property as a violation of his fundamental rights to peacefully own property and wealth as well as N500 billion damages among others.
The sum was described as “exemplary and/or aggravated damages for breaching the applicant’s fundamental rights in the course of illegal and/or malicious invasion of his residence situate, lying and being at Igboho Villa. No.1, Dalag Street, Off Soka Bus Stop, Soka Area, Off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan.”
Igboho, according to the report, is also asking the court for a declaration that it was “oppressive, malicious, arbitrary and grossly unconstitutional for the 2nd & 3rd respondents to invade the residence of the applicant situate, lying and being at Igboho Villa, 1, Dalag Street, Off Soka Bus Stop, Soka Area, Off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan without announcing who they were and asked the applicant to open his gate but rather shot their way through killing two people including an elderly Imam doing Tahjud (night vigil), shooting at cars thereby destroying them and not sparing animals like cats and dogs in total violation of the intendments of the Fundamental Human Rights’ provision in CFRN, 1999 and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement), Act, LFN 2010, protecting the-dignity of human person, sanctity of human life and privacy c citizens and their homes.”
It also urged the court to declare that “the respondents’ resolve 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, conscience and association since campaign for self-determination is recognized by Nigerian Law and international treaties of organisations to which Nigeria belongs.”
Adeyemo prayed the court for an injunction restraining the respondents from arresting, harassing or disturbing him in any way that can violate his fundamental human rights.”
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