Soldiers: Falana sues Jonathan, Adoke

Posted by admin Armed Forces, Latest Politics Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Mr. Femi Falana

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, has sued President Goodluck Jonathan and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, for N500m over an alleged violation of his rights by soldiers deployed in Lagos.

The soldiers were depolyed in the state to quell protests against the removal of subsidy on fuel.

In a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos on Wednesday, Falana alleged that the soldiers acted on the authority of the President to violate his constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, assembly and movement.

The applicant said he was on January 16 prevented by the armed soldiers deployed by the first Respondent (Presdent Jonathan) from expressing his opinion on the removal of fuel subsidy at the Gani Fawehinmi Park.

He said, “At about 7:30am on January 16, 2012 I was stopped at Maryland, Lagos by armed soldiers, who prevented me from moving to the venue of the rallies and ordered me to return home.”

He asked the court to order the respondents to pay him “the sum of N500m, being general damages for the violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and association, freedom of movement and freedom of expression.”

He also sought the court to give an order of perpetual injunction, “restraining the respondents, their agents, privies and servants from further violating the applicant’s fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and association, freedom of movement and freedom of expression in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.”

“The order issued by the 1st respondent (President Jonathan) on the 16th of January, 2012 curtailing the applicant’s fundamental rights to freedom of expression, right to assembly and movement and enforced by the 2nd respondent through his armed agents is a violation of the fundamental rights of the applicant as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

-Punchwp_posts