Court Orders Immediate Release of Driver Remanded For 6 Years Without Trial

•IGP To Pay Him N10m As Damages
A Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi-Lagos, on Monday, ordered the immediate release of a driver, Jones Ofori, also known as James Ofori, who has been in prison custody since 2013 without trial.

The court also ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to pay the driver the sum of N10 million, as damages for his unlawful arrest and illegal detention.

Justice Sule Hassan, who presided over the court, made the release order, while delivering judgement in an enforcement of fundamental rights suit filed by the driver through his lawyer, Adewale A. Fadipe.

Joiner as respondents in the suit are: the Federal Government of Nigeria, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Deputy-Controller of Prison (DCP).

Ofori, in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/887/18, has asked the court for a declaration that his arrest and detention for two weeks and a week at Ajiwe Police Station and Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Ikeja respectively, is illegal and constitutes an infringement of his fundamental rights to personal liberty as guaranteed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And a declaration that his continued imprisonment without trial constitutes an infringement of his freedom to personal liberty as guaranteed by the Nigeria’s constitution.

Ofori also asked the court for an order for his immediate release from the prison custody. And a court order that be should be produce before the court.

He further asked the court to award the sum of N50 million in his favour, for his unlawful arrest, detention and continued detention.

Ofori in an affidavit deposed to by Oguntuwase Olatunde, a lawyer in the Law firm of Wale Fadipe and Co., averred that sometimes in the year 2013, he was employed by on Mr. Ikechukwu to be driving a car for commercial purpose and he was delivering the sum of N350, 000.00, on daily basis.

He states that on November 14, 2013, at about 9p.m, after closing of the day, he parked the car at a general car park around his house in Ajah, Lagos and on November 14, at about 6 a.m, on getting to where the car was parked in order to clean it and get ready for the day’s work, he discovered that the car was missing.

The deponent stated that upon discovered that the car was missing, he put a call to the said Mr. Ikechukwy, whom they both went to the Ajiwe Police Station and on getting to the Police Station, the he was asked of some questions by the police officers on duty, while the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) told him that he have to be detained while the investigation is ongoing.

He also stated that after being detained for two weeks in Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, he was transfered to SARS Ikeja, where he was detained for another one week before he was arraigned before Magistrate Court 17, Ikeja, on December 2013, on charges of armed robbery which he knew nothing about. And that he has since be remanded in prison custody without any further trial.

He therefore urged the court to grant all the reliefs sought.

The respondents, though, filed counter to the applicant’s application but it was not serve on the applicant.

Delivering judgement in the suit today, Justice Hassan, said he noted that the respondents filed counter to the suit but there is no prove of service of the counter on the applicant in the court file. And that the respondents never appear before the court to argue the counter.

The judge said with the development, he is therefore constrained to grant the reliefs sought by the applicant.

Consequently, Justice Hassan while declaring the arrest and detention of applicant as Illegal and unlawful, ordered the Deputy-Controller of Prisons, to immediate release of the applicant (Jones Ofori) from detention.

The judge also awarded the cost of N10 million damages against the third respondent, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), for the unlawful arrest and detention of the driver.