Bash Ali sues Sports Minister Dalung for assault

Renowned Boxer Bash Ali has dragged the Minister of Youth and Sports, Barr. Solomon Dalung to court, seeking N1 billion damages for injuries he suffered when Dalung’s aides allegedly beat him up at his office in Abuja about a forthnight ago.

According to the former World Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion, he got beaten till he lost consciousness; and as a result of the humiliation, he was forced to brief a lawyer who charged him N8m only to sue the respondents.

“I was unconscious for about an hour until the ministry sent for paramedics who then carried me in a stretcher to the ministry’s staff clinic where I was given first aid treatment and when they saw that I was in extreme pains, I was immediately transferred to the Emergency Ward of the National Hospital where I stayed for about eight hours before I was rushed to the Trauma Department at National Hospital where I spent two days,” he told Punch.

Alongside the sports minister, the Inspector-General of Police, Nansel Nimyel, Charles Boga and one Mr. Joseph are the respondents. Nimyel allegedly kick-started the assault on Ali, while Boga and Joseph allegedly beat him with gun butts.

The motion filed by his lawyer, B. O Nafagha, declared that Ali is seeking “an Order of the court declaring the assault as unlawful, illegal, and unconstitutional and a breach of his Fundamental Human Rights.”

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Ali is also seeking an order of the court ”compelling the respondents to pay to the applicant the sum of N1bn only as compensatory damages and public apology in two national newspapers for the breach of his fundamental human rights to his dignity as a person on 13th of February, 2017.”

“An order of the court compelling the respondents to pay to the applicant the sum of N8 million only as cost of litigation as a result of the assault, beating and treatment meted on the applicant.”

However, an aide to the minister had earlier denied the claim, saying in a statement that Bash Ali had behaved in an obnoxious manner when he was at the minister’s office.

“Bash Ali barricaded the entrance to the office of the minister with the men who accompanied him as he questioned why the Hungarian Ambassador to Nigeria would be allowed to see the minister while he, who came earlier was not given access.

“Bash Ali was neither touched, shoved nor manhandled by security operatives of the minister. He feigned that he had been beaten up but we challenge him to produce physical evidence of assault, gun handle bumps, and bruises, swelling or otherwise as being presented to the public.”

Recall, this is not the first time the Boxing champion would be involved in such a controversy. In 2013 he also claimed to have been assaulted by security operatives of the then Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi.

 

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