Lagos Court Orders Nigerian Police To Pay N100m Compensation Over Death Of Detainee

Posted by Odinaka on Tue 14th Jul, 2015 - tori.ng

A federal high court in a recent ruling has ordered the Nigerian Police to pay a N100 Million compensation to the family of a deceased who died on their custody

At a Federal High Court in Lagos, an order has been given that the family of Patricia Onyeabo who died in Police custody due to lack of medical care be duely compensated in the tune of a N100millin. This was after a N1 billion suit was filed by Patricia’s daughter, Miss Amaka Onyeabo, a lawyer, against the Inspector General of Police.

In an affidavit, Amaka asked for declarations that the unsubstantiated indictment in a letter, leading to the harassment, detention, intimidation, humiliation and restriction of movement of her late mother since April 25, 2014, until her death on May 16, 2014, by the respondents was frivolous, vindictive, wicked, smacked of gross impunity, and was unlawful, unconstitutional and a breach of the fundamental rights of the deceased.

She asked for an order of the court directing the respondents to tender an unreserved apology to her and her entire family in any two Daily newspapers in Nigeria. She also asked the court to grant an order directing the respondents to pay her family the sum of N1 billion.

She averred that her mother received a letter on April 25, 2014, signed by the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s managing Director, Engr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, accusing her to have conspired with 69 other staff of the Corporation to embezzle over N1.5 billion between 2011 to 2013, before her retirement from the Corporation in February 2014.

She also said that the deceased was arrested and detained till she died on May 16, 2014 and all efforts by her lawyer to secure her bail, so that she could get adequate medical care was rebuffed by the police authorities, and that during her detention, she suffered stroke and she eventually died.

Justice Mohammed Idris while delivering judgement, said: “I hold that the Nigerian Police have failed in their responsibility. The applicant has liberty to life while in custody but was denied, thereby leading to her death. Therefore, the applicant is entitled to general damages in the sum of N100 milion."