By Osagie Otabor, Benin
A single mother, Ms Odegua Okojie, has sued a Lebanese businessman, Charles Makhoul and the Department for State Services (DSS) at a Federal High Court for illegally detaining her for nine days.
Odegua claimed that she was denied access to her lawyer, family members while her mobile phone was also seized.
She claimed to have been arrested in a commando style at night in Benin, the Edo State capital, and detained at the DSS office before she was whisked to Abuja without knowing the offence she committed.
The woman said her two-year-old daughter was left alone in the house all through the night, adding that it was her daughter’s school teacher that rescued her when she wanted to take her to school.
Odegua also alleged that while at the DSS facility in Abuja, she was forced to accept N6 million as compensation for the trauma the Lebanese businessman made her go through.
The distraught woman said she lived with the Lebanese since she was a minor till her adult age.
According to her, the illegal detention from July 9 to 16, 2019, was not only an infringement on her fundamental human rights but also unlawful and unconstitutional.
Odegua is demanding N300 million as compensation/damages for the violation of her fundamental rights by the first to third respondents.
The plaintiff is also asking the court to award her N50 million as exemplary damages for the unlawful and unwarranted infraction on her rights.
When the case came up for hearing before Justice M. G. Umar, counsel to the third respondents filed two applications for extension of time to enable him file a counter-affidavit to the one filed by the plaintiff.
Justice Umar granted the applications after Odegua’s lawyer T. A. Akakhomen and counsel to the first and second respondents, Mrs O. A. Odigwe, did not object to the applications.
The matter was adjourned till February 12, 2020, for hearing.
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