Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja, yestersday, directed that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, the National Security Adviser, NSA, and the Director General of the Department of State Service, DSS, should within 12 days, justify the recent clampdown on members of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, PCN.
The order followed a suit challenging the arrest and detention of National Commandant of the corps, Ambassador Dickson Akoh and 49 others.
Peace Corps is demanding N2 billion from the respondents over alleged unlawful arrest and detention of its officers after a team of security men, comprising both Police and DSS, raided its headquarters in Abuja.
The plaintiff, through its lawyer, Mr. Kanu Agabi, SAN, is praying the court to declare as illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional, the arrest, as well as the sealing up of its Head office in Abuja and offices in the 36 States of the Federation.
It asked the court to declare that under the 1999 constitution as amended, Akoh and the 49 others did not commit any offence to warrant their arrest, detention and sealing up of PCN offices across the federation as done by the defendants.
It also urged the court to declare that members of the Corps are entitled to their fundamental rights to acquire and own properties, lawful assembly, freedom of movement, personal liberty and dignity of their human persons as guaranteed under sections 34, 35, 40, 41, and 43 of the 1999 constitution.
Meanwhile, delivering ruling in an ex parte motion filed by the plaintiff, Justice Kolawole said the respondents must appear in court on March 28, 2017 with affidavit evidence on why an order of interim injunction restraining them from further arresting members of the Corps should not be granted.
Source: Vanguard
