Court Awards N50m Damages Against The Nigerian Army For Murder Of Otunba Ajayi Oladele.

The Federal High Court sitting in Warri has awarded N50m damages against the Nigerian Army for murder of Otunba Ajayi Oladele.

The N500,000, cost was awarded in favour of the Deceased’s wife and children as a result of the unlawful/wrong death of their father(Otunba Ajayi Oladele) and for the loss of consort, fatherly love/care, comfort and disruption of the family life of the children and his wife.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in delivering the judgment in the case of Mrs. Esther Oladele & Ors. v. The Nigerian Army & Ors. Suit No. HHC/WR/CS/93/2017 held that the arrest and detention of late (Otunba) Ajayi between 8th May, 2017 and 12th May, 2017 was an unlawful, unconstitutional and gross violation of his fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, human dignity and freedom of movement.

The court also held that the 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th plaintiffs right to life and therefore good and reasonable comfort of life have been violated by the acts of the Defendants unlawful killing of Otunba Ajayi Oladele been that the deceased was the parents of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th plaintiffs, the husband to the plaintiff and also the breadwinner of the family.

Other Defendants in the suit are Lieutenant Colonel T.A Yakubu and Sergeant Hassan Hassan.

The Plaintiffs who are the widow and the infant children of late Otunba Ajayi were represented by Kunle Edun pro bono.

The Plaintiffs’ case was that officers of the Nigerian Army were contracted to recover debt allegedly owed by the late Otunba Ajayi. The deceased was arrested in Warri by soldiers from the Army Brigade in Benin city.

The deceased was beaten and had his spinal cord broken by the soldiers during the beating. The soldiers had to rush him to the military hospital in Benin and called his wife, the 1st Plaintiff, to make arrangements to take her husband home. The late Otunba died few minutes after the soldiers dropped him on the floor of the emergency room of the Central Hospital, Warri.