Arbitrary detention victim gets N20m compensation

A man who was detained for seven years without prosecution by the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos State has been awarded the sum of N20 million in compensation. A Lagos State High Court, in a recent judgement, also ordered the unconditional release of Adeyemi A. after he was tortured and arbitrarily detained. The court further […]

A man who was detained for seven years without prosecution by the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos State has been awarded the sum of N20 million in compensation.

A Lagos State High Court, in a recent judgement, also ordered the unconditional release of Adeyemi A. after he was tortured and arbitrarily detained.

The court further ordered the release of James A., who suffered one year in arbitrary detention and torture in Lagos.

The court’s orders followed the fundamental human rights applications by the Avocats Sans Francais France (ASFF), otherwise known as Lawyers Without Borders made between April and August 2021.

The NGO cited in court the instances of torture, violation of their fundamental human rights, their rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement, provided under sections 35 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

Speaking on the compensation, the Country Director of ASFF, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, said “nothing can ever make up for seven years loss of one’s life, let alone seven years filled with unthinkable acts of torture. Security agencies need to demonstrate their commitment to human rights by upholding the laws against torture.”