By Amos Tauna
A Court sitting in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria on Friday fixed July, 6, 2017 for judgement on the N2bn suit filed by the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky against the Nigerian Army, the Attorney General of the Federation and Kaduna State government.
El-Zakzaky dragged the Nigerian Army, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Buratai, Attorney General of the Federation, AGG, and Kaduna State government before the Federal High over the alleged Killings, including his three children and destruction of his house.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, under Justice Gabriel Kolawole had earlier delivered judgment on the infringement of the fundamental rights and unlawful detention of El-Zakzaky and his wife, ordered for their release within 45 days, provision of befitting accommodation and the payment of damages to the tune of N25 million to each of them.
When the case came up for hearing in Kaduna, the Federal High Court Judge, Justice Saleh Musa Shuaibu, said, “I have the written addresses of both the applicants and respondents in this case before me, and I have also gone through the judgment of my learned brother in Abuja, Justice Kolawole which deals with the unlawful detention and fundamental human rights of El-Zakzaky and his wife.
“I will concern myself with the issue of alleged destruction of the houses and properties of the applicant by the Army and the killings of his children which were brought before me. And all these have been covered by the written addresses, exhibits and affidavits of counsels and which I have gone through.”
However, the Counsel to the Applicant, Mr. Festus Okoye while addressing the court, said that despite the fact that Justice Kolawole ordered for the release of Zakzaky and the wife, the third respondent, Directorate of Security Service, DSS, remained adamant to the judgment, “Thereby giving approval to what the first and second respondents (Nigerian Army and the Chief of Army Staff) did,” he obsrrved.
“I wish to refer the court to the judgment of justice Kolawole. He said that the applicant must be provided with a house, for himself and his wife. What Justice Kolawole said was that they should be given a temporary accommodation with damages of 25 million naira to each of them. If my Lord looks at relief 5, your Learned brother, Justice Kolawole did this in page 51, to talk about accommodation to be provided,” Okoye added.
Okoye who said that the applicant has been rendered homeless unjustly while his children were killed by soldiers, told the court, “On the whole, we urged my lordship to grant all the reliefs sought and for the court to take judicial notice of the fact that the third respondent (DSS) is still in contempt in releasing the applicant and his wife, thereby giving approval to what the first and second respondent did.”
Meanwhile, in his submission, lawyer to the Army and Chief of Army Staff, Mr. Biola Oyebanji while urging the court to dismiss the submission of Okoye, said, “The essence of this is to do justice primarily in this case. It is the effort and action of the first and second respondents that uphold peace in this country and we were all eye witnesses to the terrifying situations that the entire nation went through doing the
