Assault on Journalist: Court hears suit against Customs Monday

By Abdulwahab Abdulah Justice A.

 Anka of the Federal High Court, Lagos will Monday, commence hearing in the fundamental rights suit filed by the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) against the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and eight others over alleged assault on one of its members, Otunba Yomi Olomofe. Olomofe-Ali The NUJ had filed the suit against NCS, over the brutal assault of

Olomofe, at Seme border post of the NCS last year, asking for N500 million as special and exemplary damages for the violation of the applicant’s rights. The body had specifically prayed the court for the enforcement of the journalist fundamental rights to life, dignity of the human person and freedom of expression and the press and to declare that the brutalised journalist’s right was indeed violated by the defendants. The matter had earlier came up for mention before Justice A. Anka, though none of the defendants was in court nor represented, however, the counsel representing the plaintiff, Adelayo Banjo of Jiti Ogunye chambers informed the court that the defendants are yet to be served on the processes of the case. Subsequently the court adjourned till February 22 for the hearing of the case while directing that all processes in the case be served on the defendants. The applicant, in the suit, asked the court for a declaration that the beating meted out to him by the defendants, who inflicted bodily and internal injuries on him on June 25, 2015, in the premises of the NCS, Seme, was “capable of infringing on his right to life as guaranteed by Section 33 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/assault-on-journalist-court-hears-suit-against-customs-monday/