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Alleged IPOB Spy: Gloria Okolie Drags IGP, Malami To Court, Demands N100bn
Posted by Thandiubani on Wed 25th Aug, 2021 - tori.ngOkolie accused the Police of violating her fundamental human rights. She is seeking N100 billion compensation.
Gloria Okolie
A 21-years-old student, Gloria Okolie who was illegally detained for months by police officers has taken the Inspector General of Police, Baba Usman Alkali to court.
Okolie accused the Police of violating her fundamental human rights. She is seeking N100 billion compensation.
Joined as co-defendants in the suit are the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and the Commander of IGP’s Intelligence Response Team, Tunji Disu.
The police had arrested and held Gloria Okolie in custody since June 7, over her alleged links with Eastern Security Network a.k.a. the armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
She was also accused of being the intermediate person who received cash, drugs and weapons on behalf of IPOB/ESN and delivered same to their commanders in their camps.
But Miss Gloria Okolie, in the suit filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, on Tuesday, is, among others, seeking a court declaration that her detention without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of her right to fair hearing and personal liberty.
The suit is also seeking:
“That from the 17th June 2021, the family members started making all frantic search of the 1st applicant in hospitals, churches, and mosque, all to no avail.
“That the family members, in search of the 1st Applicant actually approached the Owerri command of Nigeria Police Force, who charged the uncle of the 1st Applicant, the sum of N50,000,00 to track vide telephone tracking, the last known address of the 1st applicant.
“That the phone tracking above showed that the 1st Applicant was detained by the respondent IGP IRT officers at their Owerri Tiger base unit of the respondent, and when the uncle approached this office, the respondent Owerri Tiger base unit denied ever arresting the 1st applicant, nor was she in their custody.
“That not till the end of June 2021, that a certain Izuchukwu Okeke, having just been released from the Respondents unit Owerri Tiger base cell, informed the family and uncle of the 1st Applicant, that the 1st Applicant was in custody of Respondents at Owerri unit cell, and in the said cell, she was cooking for the IGP IRT police officers, washing clothes for them and sometimes that therein the Respondent’s Owerri command unit officers occasionally take turns to abuse the Applicant sexually.
“That afterward the Respondent officers then demanded monetary commitment from the uncle of the 1st Applicant, for the release on bail of the 1st Applicant, wherein the 1st Applicant uncle thereafter in cash and POS bank transactions actually advanced to the Respondents IGP IRT officers in Owerri Tiger base unit, different financial sums in this regard.
“Copies of this aforementioned POS transactions are marked as annexures herein.”
The court was told that the 21-year-old student was subsequently transferred to Abuja, despite spirited efforts by her parents to secure her release.
Specifically, the Applicant is seeking;
“A declaration of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021 till date, without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004,” the court document read.
“A declaration of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1ST applicant from the 13th June 2021,and beyond 71 (seventy one) days till date ,without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1ST Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004
“A declaration that the beating/slapping, torturing, physical assault and verbal/vulgar abuse of the Applicant by the 1st Respondent and the respondents igp irt officers, without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“A declaration that the usage of the Applicant by the respondent IGP IRT officers by sexually assaulting the 1st applicant, usage of the 1st applicant to wash the respondent officers clothes and usage of the applicant to cook for the respondents IGP IRT officers ,even when the applicant was in the illegal custody of the respondent, and without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in Section 35 & 36 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“An order of this Honourable Court restraining the Respondent to desist from engaging in untoward, violent and irrational conducts against the 1st Applicant.
“An order of this honourable court, granting bail to the 1st applicant on liberal terms to wit: unconditionally and conditionally pending the time the respondent deem it fit, to charge the 1st applicant to court in this regard.
“An order of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One Hundred Billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on the rights of the 1st applicant.
As well as, “An order of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) as punitive damages for its recklessness, bias, malice, failure to perform its statutory duty when the Respondents officers within his knowledge, wholly infringed on the fundamental rights of the 1st Applicant in this regard.”
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