IGP, PSC, 3 others slammed N200m fine for unlawful arrest of housewife in Uyo

<p>Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo has ordered the Inspector General of Police, the Police Service Commission and three others to pay a housewife in Uyo, Peace Ekom Robert, the sum of N200 million as damages for her unlawful arrest and detention.</p>, <p>The presiding judge, Justice Ntong Ntong gave the order on Tuesday in a judgment he delivered in a case of enforcement of fundamental human rights brought by Mrs Ekom who is a mother of two.</p>, <p>The particulars of the case indicated that sometime in March this year, one Ifenyinwa Anthonia Olua, approached the applicant, one Peace Ekom Robert to link her up with someone in Europe that could buy euros and pay her in Naira.</p>, <p>The £55,000 amounting to N42.9m was said to have been transferred to a Spanish account and surprised by the transfers which came in quick succession, the account holder reported to the Spanish authorities, who placed restrictions on the account on the suspicion that the money could be illicit funds.</p>, <p>Consequently, the applicant was arrested by the Police.</p>, <p>Joined in the suit as respondents were the Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police, Administration, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, Mr. Babazango Ibrahim; DSP Yusuf Dauda of Anti-Homicide Section, Alagbon in Lagos, Inspector Celestina Ugbaja of Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos and Police Service Commission.</p>, <p>In a one-hour judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Ntong Ntong said he had “read in between lines the record file and has not seen where the Inspector General of Police and other respondents filed any process to challenge the averments of the applicant.”</p>, <p>Justice Ntong said the evidence before the Court showed that “the Police threw caution to the wind and became law unto themselves thereby bastardizing the 1999 constitution, disrespecting the order of the Court and treating the name of God and office of the President and Commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with disdain.”</p>, <p>Th