Suspected kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, has had a fundamental rights enforcement suit he filed against the Nigerian Police Force thrown out for lack of merit.
Evans had filed the suit before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos demanding N300 million as compensation for his detention by police for 11 days before being charged to court.
He equally accused the police of subjecting him to media trial against his fundamental human rights.
Defendants in the suit were the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Commissioner of Police (COP) Lagos State and the Lagos State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), as first to fourth defendants respectively.
Through his lawyer, Olukayode Ogungbeje, Evans argued that the defendants violated sections 35 (1) (c) (3) (4) (5) (a) (b) and 36 of the constitution by holding him between June 10 to 22, 2017 without charging him to court.
However, counsel to the police, Emmanuel Eze urged the court to dismiss the application as lacking in merit.
Quashing the application, Justice Abdulazeez Anka ruled that Ogungbeje was unable to argue convincingly that the action of the police violated sections 35 and 36 of the constitution.
Justice Anka further ruled that the police’s decision to hold Evans was reasonable as it had obtained a court order to detain him for 90 days.
On the media trial allegation, the judge said it was the constitutional duty of the media to cover happenings and no law can stop them.
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