Connect with us

Metro

Court orders army chief to apologise to Akwa Ibom monarch

Published

on

Army establishes special forces battalion in Kogi

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen.Tukur Buratai, has been ordered by a High Court sitting in Itu, Akwa Ibom State, Friday, to apologise to the Clan Head of Oku Iboku, Ubong Okokon, within 20 days over infringement of his fundamental rights by officers of the Nigerian Army.

Justice Ntong Ntong, who presided over the court proceedings, also ruled that the pair of indicted soldiers identified as one Capt. Ibrahim and Brigadier T.A. Lagbaja of the 2nd Brigade Headquarters of the Nigerian Army, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, to jointly pay the sum of N1m to the monarch as compensation for the offence.

The presiding judge held that the two soldiers humiliated and tortured the clan head in the course of investigating his alleged involvement in four missing boats in his domains.

He said, “The two indicted Army officers were overzealous in the course of carrying out their lawful duties.

READ ALSO: Nigeria is safer now than it was five years ago —Buratai

“The soldiers ought to have shown respect and dignity to the person of the applicant, not only as a traditional ruler, but as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is entitled to his fundamental rights as enshrined in Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution.

“Even if the monarch was a suspect, the affected officers ought to have treated him with some modicum of respect.

“The Army Officers, Captain Ibrahim and Brigadier T. A. Lagbaja, were personally liable for the infringement of the rights of the clan head,” Justice Otong added.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now