A Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja has adjourned N2 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the chief of defence staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, and the chief of army staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, till November 28.
Former caretaker chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Lucky Okodeh, filed the suit.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/590/2024, filed on May 3 by Femi Falana, a senior advocate, Okodeh sued Musa and Lagbaja as the 1st and 2nd respondents.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in the lawsuit, Okodeh accused the defendants of publicising his picture among those wanted in connection with the murder of 17 soldiers in Okuama, Delta.
The Judge, Binta Nyako, while taking the matter on Thursday, October 17, adjourned the case following an oral application by Okodeh’s counsel, Asmau Yunusa.
The matter was adjourned to enable the lawyer to respond to a counter affidavit filed by a lawyer to the CDS, Mimi Ayua.
Consequently, he asked the court to grant N2 billion in damages to the respondents for allegedly violating his rights to dignity and personal liberty.
Okodeh claimed in the affidavit supporting the lawsuit that the defendants’ actions had harmed his political career and forced him into hiding.
Okodeh also asked the court to force the respondents to submit an apology that would be publicised in print and electronic media.
Yunusa, who represented the applicant at the reopened hearing on Thursday, informed the court that the case was scheduled for mention.
She stated that the first respondent (CDS) had sent her a counter-affidavit on Wednesday and that she would require time to respond.
According to her, the COAS, Lagbaja, who is the second respondent, was not represented in court.
However, the judge, Nyako, informed Yunusa and Ayua, the CDS attorneys, that the matter was one that the parties could discuss and settle amicably.
The judge stated that the matter was not something they should waste taxpayer money on.
Nyako ordered that the second respondent be served with the hearing notice and postponed the case until November 28.
The ICIR reported that the Nigerian Defence Headquarters declared eight persons wanted in connection with the killing of four officers and 13 soldiers in Okuama, Delta State on March 14, 2024, .
The director of defence media operations, Edward Buba, during a press conference in Abuja urged Nigerians, particularly those living in Delta and neighbouring states, to provide the military with reliable information to aid in the arrest of the eight people who were allegedly responsible for the soldiers’ death.
The list was made public a few hours after President Bola Tinubu and other dignitaries witnessed the late soldiers’ funeral at the National Military Cemetery on Wednesday, March 27.
The ICIR reported that Tinubu awarded scholarships and houses to the slain soldiers’ children and families.
The soldiers were said to be on a peace mission to the warring towns of Okuama and Okoloba when they were attacked and killed.
Although Okodeh’s name was not listed among the wanted persons, his picture was uploaded under a false name that he said no one in his immediate or extended family had.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance