Enslaved 21-year-old Glory Okolie Sues Nigeria’s Police Boss, Others Over Unlawful Detention, Demands N100billion
In a suit instituted at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, Okolie also seeks her immediate and unconditional release from the custody of the police.
Joining the second and fourth respondents – Baba and Malami in the suit are the Nigeria Police Force and Tunji Disu, IRT commander.
Okolie asked the court to mandate the respondents to pay her the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One hundred billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on her rights.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021 till date, without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004,” the court document read.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1ST applicant from the 13th June 2021,and beyond 71 (seventy one) days till date ,without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1ST Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004
“A DECLARATION that the beating/slapping, torturing, physical assault and verbal/vulgar abuse of the Applicant by the 1st Respondent and the respondents igp irt officers, without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“A DECLARATION that the usage of the Applicant by the respondent IGP IRT officers by sexually assaulting the 1st applicant, usage of the 1st applicant to wash the respondent officers clothes and usage of the applicant to cook for the respondents IGP IRT officers ,even when the applicant was in the illegal custody of the respondent, and without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in Section 35 & 36 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the Respondent to desist from engaging in untoward, violent and irrational conducts against the 1st Applicant.
“AN Order of this honourable court, granting bail to the 1st applicant on liberal terms to wit: unconditionally and conditionally pending the time the respondent deem it fit, to charge the 1st applicant to court in this regard.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One Hundred Billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on the rights of the 1st applicant.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) as punitive damages for its recklessness, bias, malice, failure to perform its statutory duty when the Respondents officers within his knowledge, wholly infringed on the fundamental rights of the 1st Applicant in this regard.”
According to the court document, Okolie, 21, went missing on June 13, 2021, while running an errand in Imo state, “and never returned home on that day”.
It read in part, “That from the 17th June 2021, the family members started making all frantic search of the 1st applicant in hospitals, churches, and mosque, all to no avail.
“That the family members, in search of the 1st applicant actually approached the Owerri command of Nigeria Police Force, who charged the uncle of the 1st applicant, the sum of N50,000,00k to track vide telephone tracking the last known address of the 1st applicant.
“That the phone tracking above showed that the 1st applicant was detained by the respondent IGP IRT officers at their Owerri Tiger base unit of the respondent, and when the uncle approached this office, the respondent Owerri Tiger base unit denied ever arresting the 1st applicant, nor was she in their custody.
“That not till the end of June 2021, that a certain Izuchukwu Okeke, having just been released from the respondents unit Owerri Tiger base cell, informed the family and uncle of the 1s applicant, that the 1st applicant was in custody of respondents Owerri unit cell, and in the said cell, she was cooking for the IGP IRT police officers, washing clothes for them and sometimes that therein the respondent Owerri command unit officers occasionally take turns to abuse the applicant sexually.
“That afterward the respondent officers then demanded monetary commitment from the uncle of the 1st applicant, for the release on bail of the 1st applicant, wherein the 1st applicant uncle thereafter in cash and POS bank transactions actually advanced to the respondents IGP IRT officers in Owerri Tiger base unit, different financial sums in this regard, copies of this aforementioned POS transactions are marked as annexure a herein.”
She was later transferred to Abuja, despite the efforts of her parents to secure her release.
After pressure from the public regarding her illegal detention, the police later alleged that Glory Ogolie worked with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
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