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… Fixes November 1 for Appearance of Witnesses
By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa on Friday cautioned the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigerian Agrip Oil Company (NAOC) against attempts to delay hearing in the suit filed by an Ijaw youth activist, Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie over his illegal arrest and detention, in an underground facility, in Abuja for 730 days.
The presiding judge, Justice Duke Charlie, warned counsel to the DSS, George Obiora Esq, and counsel to Agip, Barr. Sonia, to stop attempts to delay the time of the court, and adopt all pre-trial addresses and all application processes for the trial.
At the last hearing held on Friday, Justice Duke Charlie had all parties to the suit adopt their preliminary applications to regularise their processes at the pre-trial conference.
The matter is slated for definite hearing for claimant to open his case on the adjourned date of November 1st.
Counsel to the claimant, Barr. Ebipreye Sese, brought an application before the court to regularise the claimant’s reply, attached with the claimant’s further witness statement on oath, to the 1st & 2nd defendants statement of defence.
The DSS also applied to regularise their consequential amendment and the police filed their defence.
While the counsel to the DSS, George Obiora Esq, also told the court that they may not be able to produce their witness because he is attached to a politician involved in the governorship election slated for November 11th this year.
The counsel to Agip, Ms. Sonia Esq told the court that they may also fail to appear on adjourned dates due to the busy nature of their diary and pleaded that the court adjourned till December to afford them time to prepare adequately.
But the presiding judge, Justice Duke Charlie warned against the attempts to delay the court, and adjourned the matter on till November 1st.
The platiff, Ijaw youth activist, Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie, is expected to present witnesses at the resumed trial.
While the 1st set of defendant, Agip, 2nd set of defendant, DSS & 3rd set of defendant, Police, are to open their defence on the 3rd of November, the 2nd and 3rd Nobember for the DSS and Nigerian Agip oil Company (NAOC) to also present witnesses.
Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie had in the suit numbered YHC/324/2022, demanded for the sum of N9 billion in damages against his illegal arrest and detention in underground detention facilities in Abuja for 730 days as allegedly ordered by officials of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
Barr. Sese, counsel to the plaintiff, stated that the case against the DSS, Agip and the Police is for false imprisonment for 2 years at the instance of Agip’s false and malicious complaints/reports against the claimant and malicious prosecution without a probable cause which ended in favour of the claimant
He is also praying the court to declare that his arrest, torture and subsequent detention without proper food and medical attention and access to family members for two years for false Imprisonment and malicious prosecution.
In his eight prayers before the court, Opumie sought the order of the court against the defendants jointly and severally “for damages suffered as a result of the false imprisonment for two (2) years under the custody of the DSS (2nd set of defendants) in their prison facilities without bail or arraignment in a court of law at the instance of the Agip (1st set of defendants) false and malicious complaints/reports against him”
“An injunction restraining the 2nd and 3rd set of defendants from further harassing or attempts to arrest and detain the claimant at the instance of the 1st set of defendants.”
Opumie, who is an indigene of Opuama Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government area of Bayelsa State and among Niger Delta youths that embraced the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), in his statement of claims, accused the DSS in Yenagoa of allegedly abducting him at the instance of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in a gestapo style, physically and mentally torture him, tie and throw him into the boot of a vehicle and taken to Abuja like a common criminal without the knowledge of his family and access to medical care.
