JUST IN: ABUJA Lawyer Sues DSS, Two Others Over Alleged Harassment, Rights Violation
By OGB Joseph, Abuja
An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, David Akatugba, has instituted a suit before the Federal Capital Territory High Court against the Department of State Services and two individuals, alleging harassment, intimidation and abuse of power over a civil land transaction.
The suit, filed through an originating summons, also listed Mike Israel Nwadiogbu and Victor Japhet Olegbunne as respondents.
In the action, Akatugba is seeking the enforcement of his fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty and privacy, as guaranteed under Sections 34, 35, 37 and 46 of the 1999 Constitution.
The applicant alleged that operatives of the DSS, acting at the instance of the second and third respondents, repeatedly invited, threatened and intimidated him over a dispute arising from the sale of landed property, which he described as a purely civil matter.
According to court documents, Akatugba claimed he received several phone calls, text messages and WhatsApp messages allegedly threatening him with arrest and detention unless he complied with payment demands made by the other parties.
He urged the court to determine whether the DSS possesses the constitutional authority to intervene in a private civil dispute by inviting, threatening or detaining a citizen with the aim of compelling payment or resolving a contractual disagreement.
The lawyer also asked the court to declare whether the alleged use of the DSS by the second and third respondents to pursue a private claim amounted to an abuse of state power and a violation of his constitutionally guaranteed rights.
As part of the legal basis for the suit, Akatugba relied on Articles 4, 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
He maintained that the respondents’ actions infringed on his rights to dignity, personal liberty and privacy, and urged the court to grant appropriate reliefs.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the matter. However, court documents made available to journalists indicated that the respondents have been given five working days to file their responses to the originating summons.
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