The chairman of the Eket branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Emmanuel Udo, has instituted a N500m suit at the Federal High Court, Uyo, against the Speaker, Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke for assault and infringement on his fundamental human rights.
Joined in the suit Number FHC/UY/CS/119/201 are Mr. Courage Noguese, second respondent and an agent of State Security Service, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police.
Udo is praying the court to award a N100 million people general damages and N400 million in exemplary damages against the respondent and a written apology to be published in two national newspapers.
Counsel to Udo, Inibehe Effiong, who announced this on Sunday in Uyo, the state capital while briefing newsmen said the suit was instituted on September 8th, 2017.
Effiong said the suit followed assault, tortured and brutalisation of his client, Dr. Emmanuel Udo, a medical practitioner of many years standing on June 25th 2016 along Obot Idim Ibesikpo Road in the hands of the security men attached to the Speaker.
He said, “We have formally filed the fundamental Right Enforcement Application in the Federal High Court, Uyo in respect of the grave violation on the right of my client, Dr Emmanuel David Udo who was seriously assaulted, tortured, brutalized until he lost consciousness by security men attached to the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House Of Assembly Mr Onofiok Akpan Luke.
“He was not just at the scene, he instigated the attack. The attack was his benefit and he did everything to ensure that the attack was successful.
“To even confirm that he participated in it, after the attack, he called our client to say, “Oh, he taught he was one of those hooligans” but even if he was, he has the right under the Nigeria Constitution, ” Effiong said.
“We have gone to the court asking that our client should be compensated in damages, we are asking for the sum of N100 million people general damages and N400 million in exemplary damages.
“We are also asking for public apology which the respondent most publish in two national newspapers.”
He said the date for hearing would be announced as soon as the Speaker was served.
Mr. Emmanuel Udo, the Eket branch chairman corroborated his client.
He said the Speaker along with his drivers, SSS and police escorts attached to his convoy, infringed on his fundamental human rights and restricted his movement on June 25, 2016.
Udo explained that he was on his way back to Eket from his children’s school in Uyo where he had gone to see his sick son.
According to him, “I met a multitude of people who had taken over the road in a procession in reaction to the sudden death of a certain young promising footballer, who died shortly after he secured a contract with a football club abroad.”
He narrated that rather than the Speakers’ convoy follow the multitude slowly or use its influence to clear the road, the convoy resorted to harassing and pushing vehicles that were ahead of the convoy off the road.
Udo further said his inability to vacate the road immediately for the Speaker’s convoy, led Mr Courage Noguese, who is the second respondent and an agent of State Security Service, together with an armed mobile police officer to come out of the convoy and assaulted him until he lost consciousness.
He said that all efforts to settle the matter amicably had been rebuffed by the Speaker, adding that he had no option than to seek redress in the court of law being the last hope.
Efforts to get reaction of the Speaker, Mr. Oniofiok Luke, as at press time proved abortive.
