AGF, police will pay woman accused of spying for IPOB 60 million for illegal imprisonment

The woman was detained and held under the allegation that she was spying for her boyfriend, who was allegedly an IPOB member.

Justice Adeyemi Ajayi of the Abuja Federal High Court has granted some mandatory orders empowering Gloria Okolie to get the sum of N60 million earlier awarded to her by the FCT High Court presided over by Justice Haliyu.

On Thursday, August 18, 2022, Justice Ajayi issued the directives during the hearings, according to The Punch.

How things came to be: Everything began on June 23, 2022, when Justice Haliyu granted Okolie all of the relief she had requested and awarded her the aforementioned sum as general and punitive damages for injuries the Nigerian police had inflicted to her.

The police continued to disobey the court’s decision despite Okolie’s repeated attempts to enforce it, including letters and official representations submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. This prompted her attorney to seek further legal action.

Because of the AGF’s inactivity, Okolie’s attorney, Samuel Ihensekhien, informed The Punch that they were forced to ask a vacation judge to get involved.

“The AGF’s action was what led to our filing of this complaint,” Ihensekhien stated. “Today, August 18, 2022, the court, in an interim judgement, ordered and granted two reliefs.

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“The court issued an order requiring the AGF to cooperate to Okolie’s enforcement of her judgment against the police and to assist her in seizing any funds from any public or financial institution that is controlled by the Nigeria Police Force.

“Also, that on receipt of the foregoing orders in the interim, the AGF should with immediate effect, commence the administrative steps and or the grant of the foregoing orders shall be deemed grant of consent in accordance with section 84 of the Sheriff’s and Civil process Act to enable Okolie to garnishee or collect her judgment sum in any financial institutions, where the Nigeria police has an account,” the aforementioned orders state.

What happened: Okolie was detained on June 17, 2021 by members of the Intelligence Response Team in Owerri, Imo State, the same day she took the UTME for the same year in the same state.

Okolie was allegedly unjustly imprisoned by the Nigeria Police Force for nearly five months, during which time she was forced to work as a maid.

Her boyfriend, who is allegedly a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra, had accused her of spying for him, the police had claimed (IPOB).

Later, Okolie was sent to Abuja, where she was charged with belonging to the IPOB/Eastern Security Network (ESN).

In the meantime, on November 23, 2021, a Federal High Court in Abuja released Okolie on bail in the amount of N10 million with two sureties. However, four months later, she was able to fulfill her bail requirements.

After being freed on March 23, 2022, Okolie filed a lawsuit against the police for violating her fundamental rights, which was supported by more than 51 civil society organizations.

She urged the court to order the respondents, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Nigeria Police Force, to pay her N100 billion in general and punitive damages separately for violating her rights in the lawsuit she filed with the FCT High Court.

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