Biafra: Court orders DSS to pay Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer N5m over rights violations

 Biafra: Court orders DSS to pay Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer N5m over rights violations A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, April 04, 2022, o...

 Biafra: Court orders DSS to pay Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer N5m over rights violations

A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, April 04, 2022, ordered the federal government to pay N5 million to Maxwell Opara, one of the lawyers for the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for violating his rights.

Recall, Opara had in September 2021 dragged the Department of State Services (DSS) to court demanding damages.

Opara, told the court that the DSS had on August 30, 2021, when he paid a routine visit to Kanu, commandeered him to a particular room within its facility for purposes of alleged bodily search, “wherein they forced him to remove his medicated eye-glasses, wedding ring, belt, jacket and shoes and accordingly left him shabbily dressed”.

He told the court that he was subjected to the humiliation of holding his trousers with his hands, wearing bathroom slippers meant for awaiting trial inmates and exposed to Air Conditioner inflicted cold for three hours.

He asked the court to compel the DSS and its Director-General to issue a written apology and publish the same in two national daily newspapers.

Opara, prayed the court to award him N50m as compensation for the infringement of his fundamental rights to dignity and a human person.

In her judgement on Monday, Justice Zainab Abubakar granted all the reliefs the Applicant sought in the suit, though she reduced the damages from N50m to N5m.

Opara confirmed the judgement in a Facebook post.

"Hello Friends you recall that on the 6th day of September 2021, I narrated my ordeal and the unfortunate incident that occurred on my visit to my client: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the DSS Office Head Quaters Abuja. Recall that on my post relating the flagrant violation of my fundamental right, I explained and gave detailed event. With utmost joy and hope in our Justice system, I want to announce that Hon.Justice Zainab B. Abubakar of the Federal High Court 4 declared and held that the act of the DSS is a flagrant violation of my right and upon this premise, a cost of N5million was awarded against DSS in my favour and published an unreserved apology to me in the Daily New Paper. Maxwell Opara Esq."

Opara's announcement on facebook

The judgement followed a fundamental right enforcement suit the lawyer filed to protest the alleged degrading treatment he was subjected to, when he paid a visit to the IPOB leader, Kanu, at the DSS detention facility in Abuja.