The homes of the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was invaded at midnight by armed soldiers in Osun on August 8, 2014, at 9pm, while they were on their way to the Government House to meet Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
An affidavit deposed to by Ibrahim Olowopopo, the driver of the national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, before an Osun State high court sitting in Oshogbo, has revealed that Mohammed was arrested during the Osun gubernatorial election for allegedly being in the habit of abusing President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a 14-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Olowopopo, who drove the car that conveyed the applicants from Lagos to Oshogbo, alleged that the event occurred on August 8, 2014, about 9pm, while they were on their way to the Government House to meet with Governor Rauf Aregbesola to honour an appointment.
Lai Mohammed, Salisu Shuaibu, Sunday Dare and Ibrahim Olowopopo (applicants) have jointly instituted a “fundamental rights enforcement” suit before the Osun State High Court, accusing the DSS of political witch-hunting and victimisation.
They have slammed a N500 million suit against the DSS for their alleged arrest and detention by agents of the service during the just concluded governorship election in Osun State.
Specifically, the applicants alleged in the suit, which is expected to be formally filed by their counsel, M. A. Banire & Associates, on Monday, that one of the reasons they were arrested by the DSS as allegedly claimed by one of the officers who arrested them was because the APC publicity secretary “was in the habit of abusing President Goodluck Jonathan”.
Apart from seeking a N500 million compensation for the illegal and unconstitutional violations of their fundamental rights, the applicants also want the court to order the respondents to tender a public apology to them.
They are also praying the court for a declaration that their arrest and detention by officers of the respondent on August 8 and 9, 2014 was unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and in violation of their fundamental right to personal liberty as guaranteed by section 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
The applicants are further demanding a declaration that their arrest and manhandling by the respondent on days constituted a violation of their freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment as guaranteed by section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
Some of the grounds on which the suit is based included: that the arrest, torture and inhuman treatment to which the applicants were subjected by officers of the respondent are definitely not approved by law as the applicants neither committed nor were they convicted of any offence to warrant such treatment by the respondent.
Also it states that the arrest, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment to which the applicants were subjected by the respondents were based on a frivolous allegation of loitering as later disclosed by the respondent’s spokesperson, Mrs Marilyn Ogar, in an interview on Channels television on Thursday, August 14, 2014, which offence is unknown to law.
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