Alleged Assault: Two Ex-Workers Drag Ex-Minister Gbagi To Court For Enforcement Of Fundamental Rights, Demand N3bn Damages

Two Ex-Workers of Signatious hotels and suits, a hotel owned by Chief Kenneth Gbagi, a Former Minister of education and an Ex-DG of Legal Aid Council, have dragged before the Delta State High Court seeking the enforcement of their fundamental human rights.

The applications with suit numbers—EHC/FHR/80/2020 and EHC/FHR/79/2020, was prepared by the law firm of Tri-Lex Partners, based in Delta State.

The applications which has Mr Victor Ephraim and Ms Roseline Okiemute Diaghwaria as Applicants in the respective applications is praying the Delta Court sitting at Effurun Judicial Division the following;

A) A DECLARATION that the Assault, stripping naked and forceful seizure of property, confining the movement and abduction of the applicant is Unconstitutional, unlawful and a violation of their rights as provided via s.34(1), 35(1), 37, 41(1) and 44(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

B) A DECLARATION that the act of the 1st and 2nd Respondent in directing that the applicant stripped naked and be shown to the members of the 2nd applicant staff is a violation of the applicant’s right to dignity of human person, private and family life, movement and personal liberty.

C) A DECLARATION that the 1st respondent is not a fit and proper person to hold any office of public trust.

D) A ORDER directing the 1st and 2nd respondent to make a full page public apology and publish same in vanguard and punch newspaper within 5 days of the judgement.

E) A Sum of N3,000,000,000 (three billion naira) as special, general, punitive and exemplary damages in favour of the applicants against the respondent.

F) Interest of 20% per annum on the Judgement sum from the date of judgement until final liquidation of same.

And any other Order(s) this honourable court may seem fit to make in the circumstances of the case.

Recall that on the Applicants had alleged that the Respondents had force them to strip naked on the 18th day of July, 2020, in the presence of armed security officers attached to the 2nd Respondent.

TheNigerialawyer recalls also that, the 1st Respondent was alleged to have directed his two 15-year-old children to film the incident and thereafter post same on the internet, thus making the videos and pictures go viral.

Similarly, the applicants had alleged that the 1st Respondent had illegally withdrawn from the respective Bank Accounts of the Applicants huge sums of money, at gun point. The incident which is a fallout from a tips said to have been given the Applicants by a guest at the hotel, which the 1st respondent alleged that it doesn’t belong to them.

The case is yet to be set for hearing as at the time of filing this report.