As Nigerian Naval ratings stripped a lady naked in public, Thisday's Simon Kolawole called it "the audacity of hopelessness" but we at Icheokudotcom chose to call it "Nigeria, a land with no laws"! This is because in a lawful society, the thought of a civil-rights violation law suit emanating from such a vagrant display of brigandage, will be so overwhelming that it will deter such inhuman mistreatment of an innocent lady. The prospect of millions of dollars in judgment sum is enough to dissuade such dastardly act - a crude maltreatment meted out to a lady by thugs in Nigeria navy uniform; paid with tax-payers money, some of which were possibly contributed by the victim. Umaru Yar'Adua must prove by his action in this case that he is really in charge of affairs in Nigeria and that he can be decisive. Umaru Yar'Adua must emphatically confirm by his response that the days of hooligans and vagabonds in power in Nigeria is over and that he has zero tolerance for such dehumanising barracks-mentality of some uniformed honchos. 
Icheokudotcom says that this the only punishment commensurate with the crime here is the dismissal of Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, whose convoy perpetrated this vicious attack. It will serve as a deterrent and a warning against other egotistic mad-dogs in Nigeria especially the armed forces as well as the police. This arrogant admiral and his bunch of hooligans in uniform must be shown the way out of the Navy. Anything short of their dismissal and possible imprisonment with adequate compensation paid the unlucky victim will be unacceptable to any civilized mind and many Nigerians. Icheokudotcom calls on Umaru Yar'Adua to treat this incident with every seriousness as the whole world is waiting and watching to see how the macabre incident is finallyconcluded. 
According to the story, the convoy of Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade (pictured here right), wanted to pass but traffic had built up. His aides, blowing siren to high heavens, were getting impatient that traffic would not clear swiftly for the “god” they were carrying to pass. They got out of their vans and started issuing barrack-like commands to motorists even when it looked very unreasonable under the circumstance that anybody could move out of the way as a result of the gridlock. They however found a scapegoat in a lady, Uzoma Okere, whom they molested and stripped naked for reasons that can never be justified by even the maddest of all men.
According to the story, the convoy of Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade (pictured here right), wanted to pass but traffic had built up. His aides, blowing siren to high heavens, were getting impatient that traffic would not clear swiftly for the “god” they were carrying to pass. They got out of their vans and started issuing barrack-like commands to motorists even when it looked very unreasonable under the circumstance that anybody could move out of the way as a result of the gridlock. They however found a scapegoat in a lady, Uzoma Okere, whom they molested and stripped naked for reasons that can never be justified by even the maddest of all men. 
Icheokudotcom salutes the courage of Ms. Uzoma Okere (pictured here), for refusing to be intimidated by these Nigerian thugs in navy uniforms! Today the whole world has shared her story of brutality in the hands of the Nigerian Navy and we at Icheokudotcom pledges to stay on it until Umaru Yar'Adua acts upon it. It took a Rosa Park to defy the segregationist white south and today Barack Obama is the president-elect of America! May be Uzoma Okere's defiance will be the catalyst for the liberation of the silent majority of Nigerians who has been 'zombified' by their ruling military and 
political elites all these years. Kudos to this lady of courage, your whipping is not in vain and the blood you bled will heal Nigeria. Uzoma Okere refused to be cowed even as the gun-totting naval ratings manhandled her, tearing her blouse, brassieres and ultimately exposing her breasts to the free view of passers-by and ogling onlookers while dragging her in the mud. Uzoma Okere endured the slapping, the humiliation and stoically stood her ground in challenge of oppressive and represive NIgerian Navy Officials. Icheokudotcom says, it takes raw courage to confront a despotic Nigerian military elite; we are very proud of this Amazonia Uzoma Okere. Icheokudotcom hereby, for his complicity in this uncivilized maltreatment of a lady, declare Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade, the worst person in the world! The mad-dogs are still loose: - Naval ratings go wild again, kill policeman!
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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Assault: Uzoma fails to appear before naval panel - Says she’s being frustrated
ReplyDeleteBy Sola Adebayo, Warri
Published: Tuesday, 25 Nov 2008
The lady recently assaulted by naval ratings attached to Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade, Miss Uzoma Okere, has accused the board of enquiry set up by the authorities of the Nigerian Navy to investigate the alleged assault of frustrating her efforts to testify before the panel.
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Our Correspondent
Miss Uzoma Okere
She made the allegation following the claim by a source, who is a member of the four-man board, that Uzoma had shunned all entreaties to appear before the panel to state her side of the November 3 incident in Lagos.
The source had told our correspondent on Monday that efforts made by the board headed by the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sylvester Umosen, to convince the lady to appear before the panel had proved abortive.
But Uzoma, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Monday, said it was not true that she declined to appear before the board.
Uzoma said she made desperate attempts to appear before the panel on three occasions, adding that her efforts were frustrated by the panel.
According to her, she was on her way to a venue in Victoria Island on the first appointed date before she was called that the venue had been shifted to another location in Apapa, adding that it was difficult for her to face Apapa on that day.
Uzoma explained further that she was indisposed on the next appointed date, adding that the board failed to turn up at the chamber of her lawyer in Onikan, Lagos, as agreed upon last Friday.
She said, ”It is not correct that I refused to appear before the panel. I was on my way to Victoria Island on the first date the panel asked me to come before they called again that they had moved to Apapa and I could not find my way to Apapa again that day. I was ill on the second appointment. But they later called me to pick a venue convenient for me.
”I picked my lawyer‘s chamber in Onikan and we agreed to meet there on Friday. (November 21) But they (naval board) did not come. All of us, including my lawyer, waited till evening before we dispersed. So it cannot be true that I did not want to appear before the panel.”
The panel was set up by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Isiah Ibrahim, on the order of the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, to probe the incident and ascertain the culpability of the naval personnel.
The board of enquiry began sitting in Lagos on Monday, November 17.
Uzoma Okere: Navy board submits report to Presidency
ReplyDeleteWritten by Adeleke Adeseri
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
....FG's reaction due tomorrow
The report of the naval board of enquiry into the November 3 alleged assault on Miss Uzoma Okere by some naval ratings in the convoy of Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade in Lagos is on its way to the Presidency which sources said will make its position known on Thursday.
However, Vanguard learnt yesterday that the report, which is quite revealing, unraveled what actually transpired that day.
One of the key discoveries, the sources said, came from the accounts rendered by three eyewitnesses that testified before the board.
According to them, “Rear Admiral Arogundade’s car was about 100 metres ahead of the point where Uzoma encountered the ratings. The panel also analyzed a telecast in which Miss Okere admitted that Arogundade was not there.”
The board of enquiry was set up by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Isiah Ibrahim, on the order of the Chief of Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike earlier directed to look into the matter by the presidency.
“As things are, the board headed by the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sylvester Umosen submitted its report to the Chief of Naval Staff last Friday and it got to the Chief of Defense Staff on Monday who in turn forwarded it to the Presidency yesterday,” a source close to the board said.
According to him, “it is unfortunate that Miss Okere is claiming that her efforts to appear before the board was frustrated. Anyway, the truth of the matter will soon be revealed as the panel has the transcript of the telephone conversation of the times she was invited and her responses which shows clearly that she deliberately shunned the proceedings.”
Vanguard also learnt yesterday that efforts are being made to obtain the transcript of the discussion between Rear Admiral Arogundade and the girl’s father from MTN, the service provider. The transcript is expected to resolve the controversy over whether Captain Okere (rtd) who is the Sergeant-at-Arms at the National Assembly actually begged the naval officer over her daughter’s conduct or not.
Meanwhile, the Police which is also carrying out an independent investigation into the matter is said to have hit a brick wall because of “procedural error”.
“The Police instead of going through naval authorities, invited the affected senior officer directly which of course he could not honour because of the mode of invitation,” Vanguard learnt yesterday.
Miss Uzoma Okere, the young lady who was allegedly brutalised by naval ratings on November 3, 2008 on Victoria Island, Lagos, petitioned President Aimer Yar’Adua, asking for a full scale investigation into the incident.
The petition dated November 5, just two days after the incident, was written by her lawyers, Festus Keyamo Chambers.
The President then directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike, to investigate the matter.
Acting on the President’s directive, the CDS asked the naval headquarters to carry out “a full and thorough investigation” into the incident and to report to him immediately.
While confirming that the president has actually ordered the investigation, the Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Mr Segun Adeniyi, however, said the outcome of the investigations by the Chief of Defence Staff would determine the next line of action by the president.
‘Rear Admiral Arogundade was not there’ — Witnesses
ReplyDeleteWritten by VANGUARD
Thursday, 27 November 2008
*Navy board submits report
*FG reaction due today
*Uzoma shunned panel
IT has been established that Rear Admiral Henry Arogundade was not at the point where Miss Uzoma Okere had friction with some Naval ratings on November 3.
This issue was examined by the naval board of enquiry into the incidence. The report, sources say, is on its way to the Presidency which is expected to make its position known today.
However, Vanguard learnt that the report, which is quite revealing, unraveled what actually transpired that day.
One of the key discoveries, the sources said, came from the accounts rendered by three eyewitnesses that testified before the board.
According to them, “Rear Admiral Arogundade’s car was about 100 metres ahead of the point where Uzoma encountered the ratings. The panel also analyzed a telecast in which Miss Okere admitted that Arogundade was not there.”
The board of enquiry was set up by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Isiah Ibrahim, on the order of the Chief of Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike earlier directed to look into the matter by the presidency.
“As things are, the board headed by the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sylvester Umosen submitted its report to the Chief of Naval Staff last Friday and it got to the Chief of Defense Staff on Monday who in turn forwarded it to the Presidency yesterday,” a source close to the board said.
According to him, “it is unfortunate that Miss Okere is claiming that her efforts to appear before the board was frustrated. Anyway, the truth of the matter will soon be revealed as the panel has the transcript of the telephone conversation of the times she was invited and her responses which show clearly that she deliberately shunned the proceedings.”
Vanguard also learnt that efforts are being made to obtain the transcript of the discussion between Rear Admiral Arogundade and the girl’s father from MTN, the service provider. The transcript is expected to resolve the controversy whether Colonel Okere (rtd) who is the Sergeant-at-Arms at the National Assembly actually begged the naval officer over her daughter’s conduct or not.
Meanwhile, the Police which is also carrying out an independent investigation into the matter is said to have hit a brick wall because of “procedural error”.
“The Police instead of going through naval authorities, invited the affected senior officer directly which of course he could not honour because of the mode of invitation,” Vanguard learnt yesterday.
Miss Uzoma Okere, the young lady who was allegedly brutalised by naval ratings on November 3, 2008 on Victoria Island, Lagos, petitioned President Umaru Yar’Adua, asking for a full scale investigation into the incident.
The petition dated November 5, just two days after the incident, was written by her lawyers, Festus Keyamo chambers.
The President then directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike, to investigate the matter.
Acting on the President’s directive, the CDS asked the naval headquarters to carry out “a full and thorough investigation” into the incident and to report to him immediately.
While confirming that the president has actually ordered the investigation, the Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Mr Segun Adeniyi, however, said the outcome of the investigations by the Chief of Defence Staff would determine the next line of action by the president
Assault: Judge fixes Feb 23 for suit against Rear Admiral
ReplyDeleteBy Tony Amokeodo
Published: Thursday, 27 Nov 2008
JUSTICE Opeyemi Oke of a Lagos High Court, on Wednesday, fixed February 23, 2009 for the hearing of an assault suit filed by Miss Uzoma Okere and Abdullahi Abdulazeez against Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade.
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Our Correspondent
Miss Uzoma Okere
Okere and Abdulazeez are also demanding N100m damages from Arogundade and joined the Nigerian Navy and Unknown Naval Ratings as co-respondents to the suit.
But Arogundade and the NN had filed a preliminary objection, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Wednesday, lawyer to the defendants, Mr Lawrence Imolode from the chambers of Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), told the court that it lacked the competence to hear the suit and urged it to strike out the matter.
In their notice of preliminary objection, Arogundade and the NN claimed that the plaintiffs did not seek the leave of the court for the hearing of the originating summons dated November 14.
The defendants also argued that the plaintiffs had failed to file and serve a verifying affidavit in addition to the originating summons.
The defendants further claimed that the NN was not served with the originating summons at its headquarters at Plot 1092, Mohammed Buhari Way, Area 7, Garki, Abuja.
But Okere had in the statement of claim filed by an agency of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Office of Public Defender, urged the court to hold that the acts of the respondents in torturing, stripping her naked, brutalisation and unlawful arrest and detention without justification, were unlawful and unconstitutional.
Okere and Abdulazeez also urged the court to compel the respondents to issue unreserved apologies to them for the violation of their fundamental human rights in at least, four print and electronic media outlets.
The plaintiffs are also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from horsewhipping motorists and putting them in apprehension through reckless driving in siren-blaring convoy.
Uzoma Okere: The Conquest Of Civilian Pride
ReplyDeleteBy Soyombo Opeyemi densityshow@yahoo.com
I do hope Miss Okere has been able to get back on an even keel after the violent storm that nearly wrecked her life on November 3, 2008 at Victoria Island, Lagos. The stormtroopers the very agents of her travails were, of course, six Nigerian naval ratings under the command of a Rear-Admiral!
The present military is, of course, a product of the inglorious and ignoble past. "I have no modicum of regard for Nigerian Generals whose preoccupations were coup-making, perfidy and criminality", reads an extract from my work on the military. "Watching them bark orders to civilians during their reign of terror, you mistook them for men of steel. And I pity an unfortunate nation that spawned these funks dissembling as men of valour, who for several years they were in power, chose to fight their own wars in the cities in Government Houses across the federation against unarmed Nigerians rather than confront the Cameroon gendarmes in Bakassi and risk being turned into prisoners of war. Generals my foot! You seized power by force of arms, sat behind a desk in a cosy Government House and began to appropriate promotion to yourself (of course, after wiring a tranche of your loot abroad): from Lt. Colonel to Lieutenant-General, from Colonel to General. Even one of those lazy men once fondled with the rank of a Field-Marshal. Field- Marshal! Not for deeds of derring - do in war front but for sitting behind a desk in a Government House!"
The armed forces bequeathed to Nigeria by the departing colonial master was of the British mould disciplined, professional and subservient to civil authorities. Unfortunately, the politicians in the first republic began to employ the services of these soldiers against unarmed Nigerians- to settle political scores and sustain their grip on power. From then began a new orientation of military towards the civilian populace and constituted civil authorities.
The brutal termination of civil government by the military in January 1996 only orchestrated a budding disdain and contempt for the civil society. And by the time the civil war was fought and lost and the military firmly established at the pinnacle of governance, civilian pride was completely submerged.
Hear the voice of the literary icon and gadfly to militarists, Wole Soyinka. "And it spread, and spread, and the culture was imbibed by a prostrate society, one governor and petty administrator striving to outdo the next in sadism. Brigadier, captain or colonel administrator arrives at his office five minutes before the official opening hour. On the dot of half past seven, he orders the gates to the secretariat closed while his soldiers take up position by the main gate and seal off all other entry points. Then, any worker arriving late, no matter his or her rank, age, or physical condition, is made to do the 'frog hop'. Laggards are assisted to improve their performance with the application of the koboko, the infamous rawhide whips, across their backs or knees. A number of deaths occurred from heart attacks from this unaccustomed exercise, but it made no difference. Discipline was discipline, and the civil servant was required to submit to its irrationalities. Humiliation filled the streets, the highways, in competition with violence. It entered the homes on camera cables and infested the media with tales of horror. I had not thought that prison regimen could ever lay claim to leaving the inmate with more dignity than victims of the dis'cipline in which civil society daily acquiesced."
Yes, it has remained since under the sea. Any pretender in uniform is to be hallowed and worshipped by the civil populace. You have a choice between receiving horsewhips and gunbutts and charming your car with wings in order to disappear from the sight of oncoming convoy of Admirals, Generals or Air Chief Marshals. I have seen commercial buses run over commuters while fleeing to avoid our gun totting masters of violence. Uzoma Okere was lucky to have escaped with only serious injuries. She could have been killed as the Undisciplined Administrator of Discipline allegedly told her.
Indeed, if she had been killed, the police would have issued a statement to the effect that she was a victim of armed robbery incident even though they're yet to commence investigation of the incident. They would then vow to leave no stone unturned till her killers were apprehended and brought to justice! Again, the story from the naval authorities would have been different had a smart Nigerian not recorded the atavistic conduct of the officers on a camcoder and released its video footage to the world behold the barbaric Nigeria in the 21st century, when an African-American was just a few hours from being elected the president of the United States!
Could this savagery have taken place in US, Britain or France: a Rear-Admiral, Major-General or Air Vice-Marshal, supervising the mauling of an unarmed female citizen, striping her of her cloth in the full glare of the public, in this age? No! No!! No!!! Don't just imagine it! The whole nation may as well go berserk in a fratricidal mode till no life flourishes again in God's own country!
Yes, it can only happen in Nigeria. As you read this piece, Admiral Harry Arogundade and his men have not yet been court marshalled and cashiered from the Nigeria Navy. And why should he? Did a naval officer not gun down an okada driver in Lagos for hitting his Mercedes Benz 190E car and got away with it? Uzoma Okere would not be the first and the last. But for the outrage provoked by the footage of the incident, the Nigeria Navy or Defence Headquarters for that matter would have lost no sleep over the battery of a bloody spare figure of a civilian. Is Uzoma's life more important than the Niger-Delta communities that are mown down on a regular basis by the military Joint Task Force under the pretext of fighting militants? Come off it! The headlines will soon subside and time will take its toll on public fury. Do Nigerians have long memory anyway?
Uzoma Okere has gone to court but when last has the military high command obeyed a court order in Nigeria (even though these orders or summons come from time to time)? Did Gen. Victor Malu as the Chief of Army Staff not invade Lagos with a battalion of soldiers when he came to appear at the Oputa Panel who's that bloody civilian human rights investigator?!
The civil society may never reclaim its lost glory and pride until politicians renounce the culture of employing the military (and police) to settle political scores and rig elections in order to hold on to power. But for now, let the military bow her head in shame because her strength and power is only revealed on the streets of Lagos against unarmed Nigerians instead of warfront.
Assault: Navy panel submits report
ReplyDeleteBy Sola Adebayo, Warri
Published: Monday, 1 Dec 2008
The board of enquiry set up by the authorities of the Nigerian Navy to probe the assault on a lady, Miss Uzoma Okere, in Lagos on November 3, has submitted its report to the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Isah Ibrahim.
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Our Correspondent
Miss Uzoma Okere
The panel, headed by the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sylvester Umosen, presented its findings to the CNS in Abuja on Friday.
A reliable source in the Nigerian Navy told our correspondent on Sunday that Umosen led three other members of the panel to present the report to the naval boss at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja.
Our source further revealed that the CNS would in turn, summarise the findings of the board and make appropriate recommendations to the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, during the week.
Dike directed Ibrahim to constitute the panel to ascertain the complicity of the Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Logistics Command, Oghara, Delta State, Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade, and six naval ratings attached to him over the alleged assault on Uzoma on Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Six naval ratings attached to Arogundade allegedly beat up and stripped Uzoma for refusing to vacate the road for the siren-blaring convoy of the naval officer.
The board of enquiry began sitting in Lagos on Monday, November 17.
Our correspondent learnt that the panel concluded its mandate without obtaining evidence from the victim of the incident.
Uzoma had accused the panel of frustrating her attempts to appear before it.
She, however, said she was indifferent to the activities and decision of the panel on the matter after her attempts to appear before it were deliberately frustrated.
She told our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday that the board of enquiry was an internal arrangement of the military, adding that the decision of the body was not binding on her.
The daughter of the Sergeant-At-Arms of the National Assembly, Col. Emmanuel Okere(rtd), vowed to pursue the legal options to secure justice to a logical conclusion.
She said, “They (naval board) did not contact me again after my attempts to appear before them were frustrated. I guess they have their own ways of doing things and if they have set up and concluded their internal enquiry, there is nothing I can do. Let us wait and see.
“I am indifferent to what they are doing in the military on this matter (assault) because it does not affect me.
“Whether I have hope in the panel is not important because I don’t know anything about the panel and I am waiting to hear their report just like any other member of the public. This matter is in court and there lies my hope for justice.”
Umosen declined to either pick calls to his cell phone or reply text messages.
The Director of Naval Information, Commodore David Nabaida, who was contacted on the phone by our correspondent, said he was not ready to comment on the mandate of the board.
Assault: Military bans officers, men from use of sirens, horsewhips
ReplyDeleteBy Victor Sam
Published: Wednesday, 24 Dec 2008
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, on Tuesday read the Riot Act to military personnel, banning them from the use of sirens and horse whips anywhere in the country.
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Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike
The ban followed the recent assault on one Miss Uzoma Okere 26, by four naval ratings attached to the convoy of Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade in Lagos.
The incident, which attracted great public outcry, resulted in the Presidency and the Defence headquarters calling for a probe by the Chief of Naval Staff.
The Navy, consequently set up of a Board of Inquiry, and the report, which is yet to be made public, has since been submitted to the Chief of Naval Staff.
But, on Tuesday, the CDS, who briefed the press through the Director of Defence Information, Col. Chris Jemitola, said the persistent use of sirens and horsewhips by military personnel to terrorise civilians was unacceptable in the new dispensation.
He said the ban would however, not affect himself, the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff, who were directed to use sirens‘only when absolutely necessary’.
“The Chief of Defence Staff has noted the unacceptable use of sirens and horsewhips to terrorise and force other road users off the road with dire consequences it has created in some cases.
“These acts do not portray the military as a noble and respectable profession; rather it creates negative publicity before the public that the military is supposed to serve and protect.
“The horsewhip is not part of the military uniform and will not be tolerated to be seen in the possession of anyone.”
“The usage of sirens by all categories of military personnel is banned except for the CDS and Service Chiefs, who in turn, may use it sparingly and when absolutely necessary.
“The use of horsewhips by any service personnel is banned and must not be seen in possession of anyone.”
The CDS has, therefore, directed the Service Chiefs to ensure strict compliance with the directive.
Jemitola said any officer and soldier not covered by the CDS directive and caught flouting the directive would be dealt with. The CDS has equally directed the ejection of all miscreants in military barracks and bases across the country, and be handed over to the police without delay.
He said he had noted the rising wave of criminality in the barracks which was being perpetrated by miscreants and jobless persons staying at the barracks, stating that there must be a stop to these.
Naval Ratings: Court Rules March 11
ReplyDeleteBy Davidson Iriekpen, 02.18.2009
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Justice Opeyemi Oke of a Lagos High Court yesterday fixed ruling for March 11, 2009 in the preliminary objection filed by Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade and the Nigerian Navy challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear a suit instituted by Uzoma Okere and Abdullahi Abdulazeez who were allegedly assaulted by six naval ratings in the convoy of Rear Admiral Arogundade.
The plaintiffs who had dragged Arogundade, unknown naval ratings and the Nigerian Navy before the court for assault are demanding N100 million as damages against the defendants.
At the resumed hearing of the suit yesterday, counsel to the respondents , Lawrence Imolode, from the chambers of Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) argued that the court lacked competence to hear the matter hence the suit should be struck out.
Besides, he urged the court to strike out the notice of motion set down for hearing arguing that the applicants did not seek the leave of the court for the hearing of the origination summons dated November 14, 2008.
In their notice of preliminary objection brought pursuant to order 1 rule 2; order 2 rule 2(1) (3) of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure and Section 91 of the Armed Forces Act 23 Cap A20 2004, the respondents argued that the plaintiffs failed to file and serve a verifying affidavit in addition to the originating summons.
Imolode submitted that the applicants failed to comply with the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 1979 in that she failed to file and serve a verifying affidavit in addition to the Notice of Motion set down for hearing.
Further the respondents contended that the Nigerian Navy was not served the Originating Summon at its headquarters located at Plot 1092 Mohammed Buhari Way, Area 7, Garki Abuja.
Responding, counsel to the applicants, Omotola Rotimi (Mrs), argued that the applicants had fully complied with the Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules.
Rotimi who is the Director of the Office of Public Defender (OPD) submitted that the applicants filed an application seeking leave of Court on November 11, 2008 and same was granted allowing the applicants to file and serve motion on notice for their fundamental human rights.
On the issue of none service, she urged the court to take judicial notice of affidavit of service filed by the applicants and discountenance the submission of the respondents.
She urged the court to assume jurisdiction and hold that the respondents had been duly served.
They urged the court to declare the acts of the respondents in torturing; stripping her naked, ruthless brutalising and unlawful arrest and detention of the applicants without any justification unlawful and unconstitutional.
They prayed the court to compel the respondents to issue unreserved apologies to them for the violation of their fundamental human rights in at least four print and electronic media.
The plaintiffs are also seeking for an order perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from horsewhipping motorists and putting them in apprehension through reckless driving in siren -blaring convoy.
They want the court to declare that the respondents’ prevention of using her Mitsubishi Colt marked MQ 34 KJA on public roads amounts to discrimination, harassment and infringement on her right to freedom as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
They equally prayed the court to declare that she and other motorists are entitled to equal treatment and access to public roads without any discrimination.
The plaintiffs further prayed the court to declare that the acts of intimidation, violence and reckless driving by the respondents on the public roads under the pretext of being military officers, violate her and other road users’ rights to movement and dignity of human person.