Police boss, others to pay N15m over lawyer’s unlawful detention

The state Commissioner of Police in Anambra along with two others have been ordered by the State High Court in Otuocha, Anambra east local government to pay the sum of 15 million naira to a lawyer Mr Emmanuel Arinze for unlawfully torturing and detaining him in police custody.

According to reports, in an application made by Arinze through his lawyer, Professor Ilochi Okafor (SAN), two police officials, Mr Abdu Osu and Sergeant Oviaede Mamoade had on December 3, 2018, arrested, tortured and detained him in a police cell at Aguleri Area Command.

He added that the incident occurred while he was facilitating a peaceful settlement of a land dispute involving his clients.

Read also: Five kidnapped Chinese nationals, 22 others rescued by the police

While affirming Arinze’s case, the presiding judge, Justice Dilibe Amaechina bemoaned the excessive and frequent abuse of power, exhibited by policemen in the country.

“The first and second respondents in a naked show of power, tried to bludgeon the applicant into submission, by intimidating, torturing, humiliating, assaulting, beating and pushing him inside the police cell’’ he said.

The Court therefore ordered the three respondents, Abdu Osu, Oviaede Mamode, and the commissioner of Police, to pay the applicant the sum of fifteen million naira as damages for the breach of his fundamental rights.

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