Tobias Sylvester
Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has awarded the sum of N4 million as compensation to a businessman, Clement Asuquo Etim, who was illegally detained and tortured after he caught a randy senior policeman, CSP Celestine Umeh, in bed with his wife, Lawrentia Asuquo Etim.
KanyiDaily had reported how Etim was arrested, detained, and tortured for three days after he caught Umeh in the night in his matrimonial home at Aba Ukpo Estate in Uyo,
Etim had filed an N200m fundamental rights enforcement lawsuit against the Nigeria Police Force and the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police for arresting, torturing, and framing him up for unknown offenses after catching CSP Umeh sleeping with his wife.
In a 46-page court document filed in May 2020, Etim stated that Umeh violated his fundamental right to private and family life guaranteed by Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution when he intruded into his matrimonial home, in his absence, to sleep with his wife.
Etim also asked the court to enforce his fundamental right to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, private and family lives and freedom of movement.
In a judgement delivered on Monday, the presiding judge, Justice Charles Ikpe, found that the police violated the fundamental right of the Applicant to personal liberty by detaining him for three days without justification.
The judge also found that Mr Etim was tortured by the Police, which amounts to a violation of his right to dignity of the human person.
Also, the court found CSP Umeh liable of violation of the fundamental right of the Applicant to private and family life by intruding into the matrimonial home of Mr Etim without his consent.
Justice Ikpe ordered CSP Umeh, the Nigeria Police Force and the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police to pay the sum of N4 million as compensation to the Applicant. The court also restrained the police from arresting Etim except by the order of a court.
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