Oyo Court Orders The Federal Government to Pay N20 billion to Igboho.

An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan yesterday ordered the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Department of State Services, to pay Chief Sunday Adeyemo, commonly known as Igboho, N20 billion in damages for the invasion of his home.

In his judgement, Justice Ladiran Akintola denounced the manner in which Igboho’s apartment was attacked, adding that because there was no conflict, the style of assault was vulgar and unprofessional.

See also DSS Charges Igboho’s aides with Terrorism.

He added that since the DSS had no search warrant, it was hard to believe that the arms and ammunition that were said to have been recovered were truly from Igboho’s house adding that there was no prove that Igboho exchanged fire with the DSS.Akintola stated that the manner of invasion and shooting was not only traumatic to Igboho but also to the people living in his house and the entire street.

He then ordered that Igboho be paid N20billion for aggravated and exceptional damages.

See also Nigerian Judge Disappears As Soon As Bail Is Perfected For 12 Detained Igboho Associates

“The reckless and indiscriminate shooting undertaken by the second and third respondents and their agents, which resulted in the death of two persons of the applicant, was in itself, a threat to the life of the applicant.

Nobody shoots guns in order to entertain people. Such a conduct has a serious potential of killing the victim, and at best constitutes a serious threat to the life of the people.

“It is difficult to believe that the cache of arms and ammunition allegedly recovered from the residence of the applicant really came to bear.

“In the absence of any evidence that Nigeria was in a state of war, the style and procedure adopted by the second and third respondents and their agents in this case, is highly condemnable, repressible, crude and most unprofessional.

“With the benefit of the hindsight, given the number of guns, arms allegedly recovered from the premises of the applicant on the fateful night, relative to the harm, damage and deaths, plus trauma inflicted on, not only the applicant, his households, guests, and neighbourhood, it is very doubtful if it worth the exercise at all. 

“It was not only the applicant that would have been traumatized by the overzealous and recklessness of the second and third respondents and their agents. The entire neighbourhood of the applicant’s residence was thrown into serious squabbles and troubles.

See also IGBOHO COMMITTED NO CRIME – SOYINKA TO BENIN REPUBLIC GOVT

“The style adopted by the second and third respondents in the case should be condemned in strongest  terms, especially even the fact that they are maintained by the Nigerian taxpayers. And yet, they did not hesitate to unleash such mayhem on a Nigerian citizen, who has not been pronounced guilty of any crime by any court of the land.

“This is one case that one would have wished that individual identities of the agents of the second and third respondents, who undertook this most bizzare, horrendous operation was disclosed,” he said.

He stated that because the DSS did not have a search warrant, it was difficult to trust that the arms and ammunition discovered were genuinely from Igboho’s house, and that there was no proof that Igboho exchanged fire with the DSS.

Akintola added that the manner of the invasion and shooting was traumatic not only for Igboho but also for the individuals living in his house and the entire street. He then directed that Igboho be compensated for aggravated and unusual damages in the amount of N20 billion.