Court Slams N350, 000 Damages Against IGP For Unlawful Arrest Of Delta Journalists

A Delta State High Court sitting in Otor-Udu, Udu Local Government Area presided over by Hon. Justice Roli Daibo Harriman has awarded the sum of N350,000 against the Inspector General of Police, Muhammad Adamu alongside the O/C IGP Monitoring Unit, DCP Abba Kyari; and Detective Reuben Noah for unlawful arrest and detention of some journalists in Delta State. Also, the Court ordered that an apology should be tendered and published in three national dailies within 14 days.

The journalists, Matthew Omonigho, Christopher Odamah and Onyekachukwu Meluwa of Daily Post, Delta Trumpet and The PUNCH newspapers in Delta State were all unlawfully arrested and detained in Warri by the IGP Monitoring Unit.

However, in a separate applications for the enforcement of their fundamental rights in Suit No: OUHC/FHR/87/2020, OUHC/FHR/86/2020 and OUHC/FHR/85/2020, they prayed the Court for an award of N10M damages each.

Meanwhile, the Court held that:
“The assault, beatings and arrest of the applicants by the respondents on Tuesday, 26th day of May 2020 at the Press Centre of the Warri Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Warri; and the subsequent detention of the applicants by the respondents from 4:30pm till midnight in their cell at the respondent’s Police Area Command Office Warri, is a violation of the applicant’s fundamental right to liberty and right to private and family life as guaranteed by Sections 34(1),35(1) and 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as Amended.”

His Lordship further said that “the actions of the respondents were calculated, and did breach the fundamental rights of the applicants, and they are entitled to compensation.”

The journalists, Christopher Odamah, Matthew Omonigho, Onyekachukwu Meluwa, Edeki Igafe (NAN Correspondent) and Francis Sadhere (Business Day Correspondent) were arrested and detained at the Police Area Command, Warri, from 4:30pm to 12 midnight by men of the IGP Monitoring Unit, Abuja, led by one Detective Reuben Noah, without any formal charge and in lieu of one of their colleagues for no just cause.

Meanwhile, the Court awarded to Onyekachukwu Meluwa of PUNCH, N100,000; Christopher Odamah of Delta Trumpet, N100,000 and Matthew Omonigho of Daily Post, N150,000.

Furthermore, the counsel to the three journalists, Oghenejabor Ikimi ,Esq lauded the judgement of the Court.

The counsel noted that that Christopher Odamah, Matthew Omonigho, Onyekachukwu Meluwa, Edeki Igafe (NAN Correspondent) and Francis Sadhere (Business Day Correspondent) were arrested and detained at the Police Area Command, Warri, from 4:30pm to 12 midnight by men of the IGP Monitoring Unit, Abuja, led by one Detective Reuben Noah, without any formal charge and in lieu of one of their colleagues for no just cause.

“Pursuant to the intervention of the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Inuwa Hafiz and others, the said five journalists were released on administrative bail at about 12 midnight same day”. He said.

“Owing to the above development, the Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged took special interest in the case of the above journalists and did write the Inspector General of Police on the issue, demanding public apology to be rendered forthwith by the Police High Command to the said journalists, but same was to no avail.

“Following the refusal of the Police High Command to tender public apology to the said journalists, CENTREP filed the below mentioned fundamental rights suits on behalf of three of the journalists at the Delta State High Court, Otor-Udu.” He added.

”The above suits were not aimed at disparaging the Nigeria Police Force as an institution, but same is actually geared towards deepening our democracy and to further enhance our human rights culture.” He noted.