Petitioners Demand N50m Compensation From Police Over Torture, Unlawful Detention

Petitioners have demanded the sum of N50 million as compensation from the police on the grounds of alleged torture, unlawful detention and imprisonment.

They made the demand on Friday at a sitting of the Independent Investigative panel on human rights violation by SARS and other units of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja.

At the resumption of the hearing, two cases were raised.

The first was a case from Tony Duchi and seven others who alleged torture, unlawful detention and imprisonment based on ethnic origin.

According to their counsel, Samuel Yusuf, some of the complainants could not make it to the court as a result of distance.

He, then went ahead to present their demand of N50 million as compensation for all the torture they went through in the hands of SARS.

In addition to that, they also asked for the scrapping of the new Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team, which was created as a replacement for SARS because they believe it is no different.

The respondents, (Inspector Cornelius Agbo of SARS FCT, IGP) were, however, absent.

The Head of the panel, Justice Silverman Galadima said the proceedings of the day, would be recorded and sent to the Force as a reminder for them to appear before the panel at the next sitting scheduled for November 19.

The next complaint was from Mr Gabriel Ufuoma on the alleged denial of access to justice and confiscation of property by the force.

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Counsel to Ufuoma, Emmanuel Adedeji, alleged that his client bought a plot of land in 2011, in Abuja, and when he was ready to resell, someone else laid claim to it.
The police, thereafter, allegedly laid ambush on the victim outside the courtroom and seized the documents forcefully.

His prayers include an order directing the police to release the title documents of plot 104, Lugbe, Abuja at the next sitting.

Secondly, the police lack the power to determine land ownership in Nigeria.

The presiding justice ordered that the police brings the original documents on the next adjourned date (November 18).

At the close of the sitting, members of the panel reached an agreement to visit police detention sites across the FCT.

Source