Glory Okolie, a 21-year-old young woman arrested and enslaved by
operatives of the Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence
Response Team (IRT) in Imo State, has sued Nigeria’s Inspector
General of Police, Usman Baba and Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
![image](/2021/07/Justice-Ejembi-Eko-1.jpg")
![image](/2021/08/lawpNBA.jpg")
In a suit instituted at the Federal Capital Territory High
Court, Abuja, Okolie also seeks her immediate and unconditional
release from the custody of the police.
![image](/2021/07/escrow-service1.jpg")
Joining the second and fourth respondents – Baba and Malami in
the suit are the Nigeria Police Force and Tunji Disu, IRT
commander.
Okolie asked the court to mandate the respondents to pay her the
sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One hundred billion Naira) as general
and punitive damages separately for infringing on her rights.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the
Respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021
till date, without an order of any court permitting same, is a
violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal
Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement)
Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004,” the court document read.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the
Respondent in detaining the 1ST applicant from the 13th June
2021,and beyond 71 (seventy one) days till date ,without an order
of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1ST Applicant’s
right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles
1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004
“A DECLARATION that the beating/slapping, torturing, physical
assault and verbal/vulgar abuse of the Applicant by the 1st
Respondent and the respondents igp irt officers, without the
applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal,
unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the 1st Applicant’s
right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles
1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“A DECLARATION that the usage of the Applicant by the respondent
IGP IRT officers by sexually assaulting the 1st applicant, usage of
the 1st applicant to wash the respondent officers clothes and usage
of the applicant to cook for the respondents IGP IRT officers ,even
when the applicant was in the illegal custody of the respondent,
and without the applicant committing any crime known to law
whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation
of the Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as
enshrined in Section 35 & 36 of the Constitution of Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 &
7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification
and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the Respondent to
desist from engaging in untoward, violent and irrational conducts
against the 1st Applicant.
“AN Order of this honourable court, granting bail to the 1st
applicant on liberal terms to wit: unconditionally and
conditionally pending the time the respondent deem it fit, to
charge the 1st applicant to court in this regard.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to
pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One Hundred
Billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for
infringing on the rights of the 1st applicant.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to
pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million
Naira) as punitive damages for its recklessness, bias, malice,
failure to perform its statutory duty when the Respondents officers
within his knowledge, wholly infringed on the fundamental rights of
the 1st Applicant in this regard.”
According to the court document, Okolie, 21, went missing on
June 13, 2021, while running an errand in Imo state, “and never
returned home on that day”.
It read in part, “That from the 17th June 2021, the family
members started making all frantic search of the 1st applicant in
hospitals, churches, and mosque, all to no avail.
“That the family members, in search of the 1st applicant
actually approached the Owerri command of Nigeria Police Force, who
charged the uncle of the 1st applicant, the sum of N50,000,00k to
track vide telephone tracking the last known address of the 1st
applicant.
“That the phone tracking above showed that the 1st applicant was
detained by the respondent IGP IRT officers at their Owerri Tiger
base unit of the respondent, and when the uncle approached this
office, the respondent Owerri Tiger base unit denied ever arresting
the 1st applicant, nor was she in their custody.
“That not till the end of June 2021, that a certain Izuchukwu
Okeke, having just been released from the respondents unit Owerri
Tiger base cell, informed the family and uncle of the 1s applicant,
that the 1st applicant was in custody of respondents Owerri unit
cell, and in the said cell, she was cooking for the IGP IRT police
officers, washing clothes for them and sometimes that therein the
respondent Owerri command unit officers occasionally take turns to
abuse the applicant sexually.
“That afterward the respondent officers then demanded monetary
commitment from the uncle of the 1st applicant, for the release on
bail of the 1st applicant, wherein the 1st applicant uncle
thereafter in cash and POS bank transactions actually advanced to
the respondents IGP IRT officers in Owerri Tiger base unit,
different financial sums in this regard, copies of this
aforementioned POS transactions are marked as annexure a
herein.”
She was later transferred to Abuja, despite the efforts of her
parents to secure her release.
After pressure from the public regarding her illegal detention,
the police later alleged that Glory Ogolie worked with the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Glory Okolie, a 21-year-old young woman arrested and enslaved by
operatives of the Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence
Response Team (IRT) in Imo State, has sued Nigeria’s Inspector
General of Police, Usman Baba and Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In a suit instituted at the Federal Capital Territory High
Court, Abuja, Okolie also seeks her immediate and unconditional
release from the custody of the police.
Joining the second and fourth respondents – Baba and Malami in
the suit are the Nigeria Police Force and Tunji Disu, IRT
commander.
Okolie asked the court to mandate the respondents to pay her the
sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One hundred billion Naira) as general
and punitive damages separately for infringing on her rights.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the
Respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021
till date, without an order of any court permitting same, is a
violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal
Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement)
Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004,” the court document read.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the
Respondent in detaining the 1ST applicant from the 13th June
2021,and beyond 71 (seventy one) days till date ,without an order
of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1ST Applicant’s
right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles
1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004
“A DECLARATION that the beating/slapping, torturing, physical
assault and verbal/vulgar abuse of the Applicant by the 1st
Respondent and the respondents igp irt officers, without the
applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal,
unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the 1st Applicant’s
right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles
1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“A DECLARATION that the usage of the Applicant by the respondent
IGP IRT officers by sexually assaulting the 1st applicant, usage of
the 1st applicant to wash the respondent officers clothes and usage
of the applicant to cook for the respondents IGP IRT officers ,even
when the applicant was in the illegal custody of the respondent,
and without the applicant committing any crime known to law
whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation
of the Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as
enshrined in Section 35 & 36 of the Constitution of Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 &
7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification
and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the Respondent to
desist from engaging in untoward, violent and irrational conducts
against the 1st Applicant.
“AN Order of this honourable court, granting bail to the 1st
applicant on liberal terms to wit: unconditionally and
conditionally pending the time the respondent deem it fit, to
charge the 1st applicant to court in this regard.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to
pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One Hundred
Billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for
infringing on the rights of the 1st applicant.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to
pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million
Naira) as punitive damages for its recklessness, bias, malice,
failure to perform its statutory duty when the Respondents officers
within his knowledge, wholly infringed on the fundamental rights of
the 1st Applicant in this regard.”
According to the court document, Okolie, 21, went missing on
June 13, 2021, while running an errand in Imo state, “and never
returned home on that day”.
It read in part, “That from the 17th June 2021, the family
members started making all frantic search of the 1st applicant in
hospitals, churches, and mosque, all to no avail.
“That the family members, in search of the 1st applicant
actually approached the Owerri command of Nigeria Police Force, who
charged the uncle of the 1st applicant, the sum of N50,000,00k to
track vide telephone tracking the last known address of the 1st
applicant.
“That the phone tracking above showed that the 1st applicant was
detained by the respondent IGP IRT officers at their Owerri Tiger
base unit of the respondent, and when the uncle approached this
office, the respondent Owerri Tiger base unit denied ever arresting
the 1st applicant, nor was she in their custody.
“That not till the end of June 2021, that a certain Izuchukwu
Okeke, having just been released from the respondents unit Owerri
Tiger base cell, informed the family and uncle of the 1s applicant,
that the 1st applicant was in custody of respondents Owerri unit
cell, and in the said cell, she was cooking for the IGP IRT police
officers, washing clothes for them and sometimes that therein the
respondent Owerri command unit officers occasionally take turns to
abuse the applicant sexually.
“That afterward the respondent officers then demanded monetary
commitment from the uncle of the 1st applicant, for the release on
bail of the 1st applicant, wherein the 1st applicant uncle
thereafter in cash and POS bank transactions actually advanced to
the respondents IGP IRT officers in Owerri Tiger base unit,
different financial sums in this regard, copies of this
aforementioned POS transactions are marked as annexure a
herein.”
She was later transferred to Abuja, despite the efforts of her
parents to secure her release.
After pressure from the public regarding her illegal detention,
the police later alleged that Glory Ogolie worked with the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).