Court orders FG to apologise to Kanu, pay N1bn as damages for abuse of human rights
[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]
Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia has ordered the Federal Government to pay N1 billion compensation and apologise to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for violating his fundamental humans right on September 14, 2017.
The Court, presided over by Justice Benson Anya, also ordered the Federal Government to pay compensation of N1 billion to Kanu for damages to his Afara Ukwu country home when a detachment of soldiers invaded his house.
Kanu had approached the court to seek justice following the invasion of his house by soldiers after he was granted by bail for treasonable felony brought against him by the federal government.
Justice Anya also advised the federal government to seek a political solution to the charges of treasonable felony against Kanu for which he is still standing trial at the federal High Court in Abuja.
Reacting to the court’s ruling, Kanu’s Special Counsel, Barr. Alloy Ejimakor, hailed the judgement, saying it was a victory for his team.
“We are happy because we succeeded in the question we brought before the court that Nnamdi Kanu’s fundamental human rights were violated in September 2017”.
“The Court asked FG to apologize to Kanu and seek a political solution to the charges brought against him. The Court also ordered the FG to pay him a compensation of one Billion Naira,” Ejimakor told newsmen.
Counsel to the military, Amos Tori, did comment on the judgement, saying he would wait to obtain a certified true copy of the judgement first.
Earlier in the judgement, Justice Anya had held that the Court had the jurisdiction to entertain the case.
The federal government had challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.
Special counsel to Kanu, Ejimakor, had on August 27, 2021, filed the case which sought, among other reliefs, interim release of Kanu to seek medical attention and payment of N5 billion damages for violation of his fundamental human rights.
