A High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State Presided by Judge Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court has declared the raid conducted by the Department of State Services on the Ibadan residence of Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo (popularly called Sunday Igboho) on July 1 as illegal.
Akintola described DSS’ action as “arbitrary aggression and prejudices” against the activist.
He has ordered the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to pay Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo popularly called Sunday Igboho, N20 billion as damages for illegally raiding his house in the state.
Igboho through his lawyer Yomi Alliyu had filed a suit challenging the invasion of his house, and, among others, sought an order of the court to declare the act as illegal and an infringement on his fundamental human rights.
Akintola, while faulting DSS actions, awarded N20 billion as compensation to Sunday Igboho and his supporters affected by the action on July 1st, 2021.
The judge stated that the sum as exemplary and an aggravated damages against the secret police in the suit filed by Igboho in which he had seek N500 billion damages for the invasion and killings of two persons.
The three respondents are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as the first respondent, DSS as the second respondent and the Director of DSS in Oyo State as the third respondent.
Counsel for the AGF, Abubakar Abdullahi, had filed an application challenging the ability of a state High Court to hear the activities of Nigerian government agencies.
But citing several judgements by the Supreme and Appeal courts in respect of the ability of the state High Court to hear such cases, Justice Akintola said the invasion of the house of the applicant violated his fundamental human rights as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.
The court awarded an additional cost of N2 million against the respondents jointly and in favour of Igboho.