Fred Omogberale, former deputy speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, has instituted a legal suit against the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, over alleged violation of his fundamental human rights.
BusinessDay reports that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the suit said the violation was to his personal liberty, privacy, assemble, associate with other persons and own property.
Other defendants in the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Benin City by his counsel, D. A Alegbe, include the assistant inspector general of police, Zone 5, Benin City, Edo State commissioner of police, and Franklyn Akanou, OC SARS- Benin City.
The former lawmaker in the suit is asking the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further harassing, arresting, torturing, dehumanising him and from further violating his rights to personal liberty and to associate with other persons at Afuze and throughout Nigeria for no offence.
He also demanded for the sum of N100,000,000.00 as compensation from the defendants jointly and severally for the arrest, torture, dehumanising, and preventing him from moving freely as well as the violation of his rights to personal liberty and psychological trauma, among others.
The applicant want the court to declare that his arrest, assault, torture, dehumanisation and detention and depriving of his business on September 3 and 4, 2016, was a breach of his fundamental rights as guaranteed by Sections 35, 37,40,41,and 47 of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
In a 24 paragraph affidavit, the applicant held that he was in his house at Ovbiomu- Emai when he received a phone call from his workers at Obviomu Petrol Station, Afuze, that some fiercely looking armed policemen numbering about 22 came into the petrol station in two Hilux vans with registration No NPF 2715 D and NPF 8418 B led by CSP Franklyn Akanuo from Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad (F-SARS), invaded and occupied the petrol station.
He further disclosed that apart from handcuffing and torturing the manager, Daniel Igbafe, the invading policemen held the staff and customers hostage in the process.
