Justice Gabriel Kolawole fixed the date in Abuja after the re-adoption of the final brief of argument by lawyers in the matter in which police is been asked to pay N2billion as compensation for the unlawful act of its officers and men against the Peace Corps boss.
A former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Mr Godwin Kanu Agabi (SAN) is standing for the Incorporated Trustees of the Peace Corps which brought the court action while the commissioner of police in charge of legal matters, Mr David Igbodo is representing police.
The incorporated trustees of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) instituted the court action against Police, Inspector General of Police (IGP), National Security Adviser (NSA), Department of Security Services (DSS) and its Director-General and the Attorney General of Police (AGF) over the unlawful arrest and detention of its National Commandant, Akoh and 49 others in an unlawful raid of the organization’s headquarters by a combined team of Police and the DSS.
In the suit filed by Agabi, the plaintiffs are demanding for N2billion as compensation for the embarrassment caused the Peace Corps of Nigeria and it’s Incorporated Trustees by the arrest and detention of its personnel.
Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare as illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional the arrest of Ambassador Akoh and other officers of the Corps as well as the sealing up of its Head office in Abuja and offices in the 36 States of the Federation.
They further asked the court to declare that under the 1999 constitution as amended, they have not committed any offence to warrant their arrest, detention and sealing up of their offices across the country as done by the defendants.
Besides, the applicants are asking the court to declare that they are entitled to 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.
The plaintiffs therefore applied for an order compelling the respondents to un-seal the Headquarters of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and its offices nationwide.
They also asked the court to order the respondents to release properties seized during their unlawful invasion of the applicants’ office and also prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents, their privies or agents from further sealing the applicants’ office and disrupting their activities, including its meetings and orientation of its members.
They further asked the court for an order restraining the respondents perpetually from further harassing, intimidating, arresting and or detaining the applicants in the course of doing their legitimate and lawful duties.
The police had in their defence claimed that they arrested and detained the Peace Corps officials following allegations of frauds against them in some petitions.
The Police had also claimed that they sealed off the corporate headquarters of the Peace Corps because it was a scene of crime.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole after taking final arguments from the lawyers announced that the verdict will be delivered on November 9, 2017.
and then