Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — A State High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State has ordered the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC and the Department of State Security, DSS to pay N300 million in damages over the illegal arrest and detention of a youth activist, Mr. Collins Opumie.
Opumie had in 2022 approached the court to seek redress and demanded N9 billion as damages over his detention for over two years, following a petition by Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
Presiding Judge, Justice Ebiyon Charlie, in his ruling on suit number YHC/324/2022 declared that the claimant was forcefully imprisoned and should be awarded N300 million for compensation.
Opumie, had in a statement of claims, accused the DSS in Yenagoa of abducting him at the instance of NAOC in a gestapo style, physically and mentally torturing him, tying and throwing him into the boot of a vehicle and taken to Abuja like a criminal without the knowledge of his family and access to medical care.
He also prayed the court to declare that his arrest, torture and subsequent detention without proper food and medical attention and access to family members for two years, was false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.
He also prayed the court to issue an injunction “restraining the 2nd and 3rd set of defendants from further harassing or attempts to arrest and detain the claimant at the instance of the 1st set of defendants.”
Reacting to the court judgement on Tuesday, the claimant, Mr Collins Opumie, said he was satisfied with the judgement because his right was trampled upon, adding that he was denied medical attention and violation of his right.
“I am happy even when all our expectations were not met, I thank all those who stood by me, the traditional rollers and my lawyer for standing by the truth.”
This article was originally posted at sweetcrudereports.com
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