A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to pay five million naira to Mr. Afolabi Akanni, a member of Ekiti State House of Assembly for unlawful detention.
Akanni who represents Efon Constituency in Ekiti State Assembly was taken away by DSS on March 4th and was held for 18 days without being charged to court .
Justice Taiwo Taiwo in his ruling described Akanni's detention as,
"illegal arrest and continued detention for 18 harrowing, excruciating and brain cudgelling day, without access to his lawyers and family'.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo also noted that the respondent, DSS failed to either deny or defend their position in the matter adding that in the eyes of the law,
"There is no basis for the court to believe that all that the applicant had alleged against the DSS were not true".
According to Justice Taiwo Taiwo, Akanni's fundamental rights as a citizen of Nigeria as specified by the principles of the rule of law and the African Charter on the Rights of individuals had been impeded on by the DSS by illegally arresting and detaining him for 18 days despite a a Federal High Court order to release him on March 8th.
It was only after the media reported that Akanni had died in detention that DSS paraded him to show he was alive.
Akanni's lawyer, Adewale who appeared for him in court apologised for absence of Akanni and explained that Akanni was still in hospital outside the state receiving treatment for post-traumatic treatment.
Adewale said the judgement was,
"a courageous demonstration of the willingness and readiness of the judiciary to protect the sanctity of the constitutionality-guaranteed fundamental rights of the citizens of this country".
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