A Minna High Court Number two has restrained the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, the head of the Federal Investigation Bureau (FIB) Special Tactical Squad, DCP Bello Yahaya, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mokwa Divisional Command, CSP Wakili Inusa, from arresting and detaining Salisu Mohammed Dankabo.
Justice Abdullahi Mikailu, who gave the order in a motion on notice filed by the counsel representing the defendant in the matter, Barr Philip Emmanuel, was brought in pursuant to (1) sections 34, 35, 41, and 46 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). (2) Order 2 Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure Rules, 2009); (3) Articles 6 and 7 paragraphs 'B', C', and D' of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights.
Barr Philip Emmanuel prayed the court for an order enforcing or securing the enforcement of the defendant's rights to dignity of his person, liberty, fair hearing, freedom of movement, and compensation for damages as enshrined under our laws.
Barrister Philip further prayed the court to restrain the respondents from staying actions or matters relating to or connected with and restraining the respondents, the agents, and provided, from continuing to invite, detain, interrogate, arrest, intimidate, investigate, and torture the defendant, pending the final determination of the matter or until otherwise directed by the court.
Granting the prayers as moved by the counsel representing the defendant, Justice Abdullahi Mikailu, declared that the defendant, as a reasonable law-abiding citizen of Nigeria, was entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, freedom of movement, and the right to personal liberty as enshrined in the Constitution.
"An order is hereby made directing the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bello Yahaya Officer in Charge of FIB Tactical Squad, CSP Wakili Inusa Divisional Police Officer, DPO in Charge of Mokwa Divisional Command, and one Hamza Baba to immediately release to the defendant unconditionally his Toyota L.E. 2006 model, which the men and officers, under the directive of the first and second respondents, forcefully took away from the defendant's house at Muwo and parked the same at Mokwa Divisional Command headquarters under the custody of the third respondent.
Justice Mikailu further ordered that, in view of the DPP's advice annexed to this application as exhibits, 'B' the applicant shall not be invited, arrested, detained, interviewed, interrogated, or subjected to further investigations in relation to or in connection with the subject matter of the DPP's advice (Exhibit 'B').
Similarly, Justice Mikailu declared that any and all actions taken in breach of any of the rights herein claimed are "null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
"An order is further made to stay all actions or matters relating to, or connected with, and in particular, invitation, arrest investigation, interrogation, torture, harassment, detention, brutalization, and intimidation of the defendant in matters connected to this suit."
Salisu Dankambo was alleged to have been involved in a communal clash between the Muwo community in Mokwa LGA and was arrested along with other members of the community.
They were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Court Number One in Minna and were later exonerated by the office of the Director, Public Prosecution DPP, in the state Ministry of Justice.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Niger State Chapter, said it will shut down the state if Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago does not desist from appointing politicians into offices in government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) that were meant for core civil servants.
The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Abdulkareem Idris Lafene, gave this warning in an interview shortly after meeting with the leadership of the 10th assembly at the Niger State House of Assembly, Complex, Minna, on Wednesday.
Comrade Lafene said that the appointment of politicians as Executive Directors of the MDAs was against the civil service rule, as such positions were for career civil servants.
"This issue of executive directors, you know, is not found in any part of the world; we have directors, but we don't have executive directors," he said.
The chairman added that they were in the state house of assembly, being an arm of government for them to call on the governor to stop these appointments.
"The state house of assembly should call on the executive to stop all these appointments; it is their duty, which is why you have three arms of government.
"We have written to the state government; there was no response. That is why we came to the house of assembly to present our paper. If there is no response, we will close down Niger State," he warned.
Earlier, while addressing the 10th state house of assembly members, the NLC chairman said that appointments of politicians as executive directors were illegal and irregular.
He impressed it on the House to, as a matter of urgency, call on the governor to stop the appointments so that labour and government would continue to enjoy their cordial industrial relationship.
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Afiniki Eunice Dauda, assured the NLC that their complaint would get to the governor and believed that, as a former parliamentarian, he would listen to them.
The speaker added that all other issues surrounding some MDAs being investigated by the House, especially the Board of Internal Revenue, will all be forwarded to the governor.
