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Lukman Olabiyi
Justice Lilian Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court has joined the Department of State Security (DSS) as respondent in the suit seeking for temporary release of a detained Lagos-based hotelier, Mr. Saibu Ogunmola.
Ogunmola, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Peace and Love International Hotel, Igbo Eseyore, Snake island, Lagos, has been in detention since January 17, after he was arrested by the men of the Nigeria Navy.
Following the refusal of the Navy to arraign the hotelier before any court, after being detained for over 90 days, his lawyer, McAnthony Aikharialea, approached the court for an order of his temporary release.
On April 17, Justice Ojukwu granted an exparte application ordering the respondents in the suit which are Nigeria Navy and three others to appear before the court with the applicant and show cause why they refused to arraigned him.
Other respondents are Chief of Naval Staff, Commander, NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The hotelier lawyer, Mr. Aikharialea, while moving his application to join DSS in the suit, asked the court for a declaration that the arrest and detention of his client by all the respondents is a violation of his fundamental rights under Sections 35, 41 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal republic of 1999.
He also asked the court for an order restraining all the respondents from further arresting, detaining or any other manner of infringing upon the fundamental human rights of his client and an order compelling the respondents from whether by themselves or their officers, agents, privies to forthwith release his client.
