Nigeria: Igbos Demand N1 Billion From Fashola Over Deportation

Lagos — Seventy six people of Igbo extraction who were recently deported from Lagos by the state government have approached a Federal High Court for redress, asking for N1 billion as damages from the government over the action.

The court has fixed February 19 for further mention of the suit. The plaintiffs are; Joseph Aniebonam, Osondu Mbuto, Osondu Agwu, Nnenna Ogbonna, Emily Okoroariri, Friday Ndukwe and Onyeka Ugwu who sued on behalf of 76 others. Joined as respondents are the Attorney-General of the state and the commissioner of police.

When the case was mentioned yesterday, the counsel representing the plaintiffs, Chief Ugo Ugwunnadi, informed the court that the case was coming up for the first time. According to him, he had only been served with the processes from the first respondent (A-G Lagos) and was yet to receive any process from the second respondent. He applied for a date for hearing.

Counsel representing the Attorney General, Mr Tayo Odupitan, in response, said he had filed a counter-affidavit, a written address and an exhibit, all in response to the plaintiffs' suit. He said the AG, Mr Ade Ipaye, had indicated his intention to defend the suit personally. Counsel to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Sam Adebeshin, said he was yet to regularize the processes on behalf of the second respondent. Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned the case to February 19 for further mention. The applicants in their motion want the court to declare that they, as Nigerian citizens, were entitled to their fundamental rights as enshrined in the constitution.

They prayed for a declaration that their arrest and detention in various camps in Lagos and subsequent deportation to Anambra on July 24, 2013 without any offence amounted to a serious breach of their fundamental rights. They are also seeking an order mandating the respondents to tender a written apology to them by publishing same in three national newspapers continuously for 30 days, for unlawful and gross violation of their constitutional rights. But the government in its counter-affidavit, contended that the deportation was not borne out of malice, but out of genuine intention to re-unite the applicants with their families. The government averred that the applicants were assisted by the government to join their families after pleading that they had no homes, relatives or businesses in Lagos State.