A woman, Rukhayat Ahmed Abbeyson and her mother Lauratu Ahmed have dragged the inspector-general of police (IGP) and her boss, Halima Suleiman, before a Federal High Court, Abuja, for harassment and intimidation over missing jewelries worth about N100 million.
In the suit, the plaintiffs joined the commissioner of police, FCT Police Command, CSP Gambo Jimeta, DSP Yahaya Musa, Inspector Mathew Ejah, Inspector Adamu Emmanuel and Inspector Usman Bappah as 2nd to 6th defendants.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/604/2024, filed through their lawyer, Professor M.T. Adekilekun, they prayed the court for a declaration that they are entitled to the protection of their fundamental rights to personal liberty, right to dignity of human person, right to fair hearing as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and that they cannot be deprived of those rights except in the manner prescribed by the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
They prayed the court for exemplary damages in the sum of N500,000,000 against the respondents jointly and severally, for the injury suffered by the applicants as a result of the infringement of their fundamental right to personal liberty and dignity of human persons, harassments, intimidation, threats and public ridicule and another N300,000,000 damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the intimidation, harassment, assault, unlawful arrest and detention of the Applicants.
The plaintiffs also asked the court for a declaration that the unlawful assault, humiliation, harassment, threats, intimidation and detention of the 1st applicant on the instigation of the 8th respondent from March 25 to April 22, 2024 and further threats thereof by the 7th respondents to assault, harass, humiliate, threaten, intimidate and detain the 1st applicant, either directly or through their subordinates or anybody whatsoever is unconstitutional, illegal, wrongful, against the rule of natural justice, against the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the same constitute a gross violation of the applicants’ rights to personal liberty and dignity of human persons as guaranteed and protected respectively by Sections 34, 35, 37, and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Articles 4, 5, 6, 7 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
They further sought for an order of the court that the 2nd to 7th respondents having regards to their functions under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Police Act and their harassments, humiliation, intimidation, and detention of the applications from March to, 2024 to April 22, 2024 are no longer fit to continue to serve the nation as police officers or any other position whatsoever.
In the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the plaintiff, a mother of twins said, “That after my delivery and with the consent and permission of the 8th respondent, the 2nd applicant joined us in the house with the purpose of assisting in taking care of Halima Usman and Hadiza Usman (her set of twins).
“That after the delivery of my set of twins and specifically on March 22, 2024 when the 8th respondent was set to go out for a meeting, in the usual way, I went to the safes to pick the right jewelry and gold combinations that matched her dressings.
“That it was at the time that I discovered that a few of the gold items were missing from the bigger safe including my own gold and its box that was given to me during my wedding in 2020, but which I decided to put in the safe for safekeep.
“That upon the discovery of the missing gold items, I notified the 8” respondent. The 8″respondent replied immediately that those jewelries were not missing and that she saw them not too long ago.
“That later on March 23, 2024, the 8” respondent later called me and instructed that we should both go to the safes together to check for the missing gold items.
“That it was at that point that the 8th respondent shouted at me that she could confirm that the gold items missing were about 15 pieces which according to her were valued at about over N100 million.
“The 8th respondent called all the members of the house to ask them whether any of them took her gold. She immediately threatened that she would invite her juju man, which she called ‘Ovia’ from Benin, to come and look for the missing gold items through traditional spiritual means”.
Consequently, they asked for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents by themselves, their officers, servants, agents and privies from: the continued arrest, restraint, detention witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation, and persecution of the applicants or threats thereof ostensibly) the pursuit of any excuse whatsoever and fabrication of evidence to harass, intimidate, restrain or justify the harassment, intimidation, arrest/restrain of the applicants in order to impugn their fundamental rights to dignity of human persons, liberty and movement as guaranteed and protected respectively by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement)Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation.
They also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondents by themselves, their officers, servants, agents and privies from: (i) ) the continued arrest, restraint, detention witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation, and persecution of the Applicant or threats thereof ostensibly; (ii) the pursuit of any excuse whatsoever and fabrication of evidence to harass, intimidate, restrain or justify the harassment, intimidation, arrest/restrain of the Applicants in order to impugn their fundamental rights to dignity of human persons, liberty and movement as guaranteed and protected respectively by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement)Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.