There was jubilation among members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital presided over by Hon. Justice Evelyn Anyadike awarded N500m damage against the federal government.
Counsels to Kanu led by Aloy Ejimakor had approached the court accusing the federal government of torturing, and forceful rendition of the IPOB leader from Kenya to Nigeria.
Kanu’s counsels in their suit against the federal government filed before the High Court in March this year were seeking N25bn damage against the federal government.
The suit marked: FHC/UM/CS/30/2022/, also seeks ” a declaration that the detention of the Applicant in a non-official secret facility in Kenya and the torture of the Applicant in Kenya by the Respondents’ agents is illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and amount to infringement of the Applicant’s fundamental right against unlawful detention, torture and to fair hearing, as enshrined and guaranteed under the pertinent provisions of CFRN and the Charter.
“An order mandating and compelling the Respondents to issue an official Letter of Apology to the Applicant for the infringement of his fundamental rights; and publication of said Letter of Apology in three (3) national dailies.
“An order mandating and compelling the Respondents to pay the sum of N25,000,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Billion Naira) to the Applicant, being monetary damages claimed by the Applicant against the Respondents jointly and severally for the physical, mental, emotional, psychological, property and other damages suffered by the Applicant as a result of the infringements of Applicant’s fundamental rights by the Respondents.”
But the court in it’s ruling on Wednesday awarded N500m against the federal government.
Counsel to the federal government was absent from court, but Aloy Ejimakor was present with some IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu’s supporters who were present in court.
Some of the supporters who spoke after the judgment said it was victory of good over evil.
They used the opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney General of the federation, Abubakar Malami to obey the judgment of the Appeal Court that discharged Kanu of the charges against him and seek a political solution as advised by the Abia State High Court judge to address issues of agitation by the group.
