Court awards N10m against IG, 5 others for unlawful shooting of victim

For shooting one Mr Darlington Amaiham
unlawfully,   a Federal High Court sitting in
Lagos, yesterday, awarded N10 million as
damages against the Nigerian Police Force, the
Police Inspector General, and three of its
officers, for negligence.
Trial judge,Justice Mohammed Yunusa awarded
the amount as damages, in his judgment in a
fundamental rights suit by the applicant,
praying the court to declare that the reckless
shooting by the respondents, amounted to a
violation of his right to life.
The respondents in the suit are: The Nigerian
Police Force, Inspector General of Police,
Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Insp.
Usman Shehu, Cpl. Alex Edomagbon, and Cpl.
Seun Adewale.
The applicant in the suit filed in September
2012 through his counsel, Mr Joseph Odeh of
“Access to Justice,” sought to enforce his
fundamental rights against the respondents.
Amaiham had claimed the sum of N10 million
as general damages, for the reckless and
sporadic shooting by the fourth to sixth
respondents, which he said had left him
incapacitated.
He also claimed the sum of N5 million as
exemplary and aggravated damages, in addition
to the sum of N128,800 as special damages
for his medical expenses.
Justice Yunusa in his judgment, granted all the
reliefs sought by the applicant, adding that he
was bound by law to do so, since the
respondents had failed to defend the suit since
it was instituted.
Meantime, two men suspected to be ritualists
were caught after cutting off the head of a
woman in Ibadan yesterday.
Men from Oyo state police command who
stormed Olufana village, Igbo-Oloyin, Ibadan
in Akinyele Local Government Area of the State
after a tip-off yesterday arrested two
suspected ritualists with fresh human head.
While speaking with newsmen on the incident,
the Police Public Relations Officer of the
command, DSP Olabisi Ilobanafor said the men
were arrested in connection with the incident.
The suspects were reportedly seen cutting the
head of the woman at Igbo-Oloyin village.One
of the suspects, who claimed he was a farmer
said he was asked to produce a human head
for anti-bullet charm.