Lokoja – A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja has ordered the police to pay N1 million damages to one Mr Daniel Atabo for illegal detention.
Presiding, Justice Sunday Bassey – Onu said the detention of Atabo for two months and 10 days without being charged to court violated his fundamental human rights as argued by his counsel.
The judge explained that the action violated Section four of the Police Act, which stipulates that a suspect shouldn’t be detained beyond a day or two days from the time of his/her arrest.
Bassey-Onu ordered police to immediately release Atabo on bail and charge him before a law court .
In addition, the court also directed police to publicly apologise to Atabo in a national newspaper .
Atabo, the complainant was arrested on Sept 25 by the Police A Division, Lokoja, Kogi State, for allegedly buying
a stolen Motorcycle.
He was subsequently detained at the police station and later moved to Kabba Custodian centre without being properly arraigned before a competent court of law.
His counsel, Mr O Amoke had approached the court to seek justice for him.
Amoke had prayed the court to declare Atabo’s detention as illegal and an abuse of his fundamental human rights.
He demanded N50M damages and
a public apology to be published in a national newspaper by the police.
However, Police, through its counsel, Mr S Ikutowa,
claimed that Atabo’s prolonged detention was due to investigation of another allegation of a stolen property against him.
Ikutowa argued that police was of the opinion that releasing him would jeopardise the investigation, hence the decision to detain him.
