Honourable Justice Owolabi sitting in High Court 12 of the Oyo State High Court Ibadan, yesterday awarded damages to the tune of N27 million amongst other reliefs against the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in two fundamental rights enforcement suits filed by two young lawyers in Ibadan.
The two young lawyers, Stanley Amarachi Nnabuo and Boluwatife John Sanya, had sometime in October 2022 visited the state headquarters of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to secure the release of Banjo who was detained in the custody of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps.
“Esteemed colleagues, you will recall that sometime in October 2022, Boluwatife John Sanya and Stanley Amarachi Nnabuo visited the state headquarters of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to secure the release of one Banjo who was detained in the custody of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps,” Boluwatife Sanya, chairman, Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Forum (NBA-YLF) Ibadan branch, recounted in a statement.
“The basis of Banjo’s unlawful detention for over 24 hours was a supposed complaint made by his wife (who is an officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps) to her superiors that Banjo did not release the child of the marriage to her when he ought to,” he said.
Upon arrival at the Nigerian Civil Defence office in Ibadan, the two young lawyers were beaten up by officers of the corps and denied access to Banjo.
Honourable Justice Owolabi in a well-detailed judgement granted the sum of N27 million as damages and ordered the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to tender a public apology to Stanley Nnabuo.
Sanya also stated that the Nigerian Bar Association will not relent in its efforts to address and litigate issues of harassment of young lawyers by members of the law enforcement agencies.
“The Young Lawyers’ Forum, Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan branch states unequivocally that this will not be a full stop to litigating issues like this and bringing law enforcement agencies to book,” he vowed.
