Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court has ordered the Department of State Security (DSS) to pay N20 billion to Sunday Adeyemo, Yoruba nation agitator, also known as Sunday Igboho, over the alleged invasion of his home in Ibadan, during the early morning hours of July 1 2021.
The money was awarded as exemplary and aggravated damages against the SSS in the suit filed by Mr Igboho, in which he was seeking N500 billion damages for the invasion.
The secret police had stormed Mr Igboho’s house in the Soka area of the city in the early hours of July 1. At least two persons were killed in the invasion.
The federal government has said it will appeal the judgment of the Oyo State High Court which awarded N20 billion in damages in favour of Yoruba secessionist agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, according to PREMIUM TIMES report.
The attorney general of the Nigerian Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, announced the decision of the federal government to appeal the judgment while speaking on the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
Mr Malami, according to NAN, said efforts were already being made to commence the process of appealing the judgment.
NAN recalls that counsel to Sunday Igboho, Yomi Alliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had filed a N500 billion fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the AGF, SSS and the Director of the SSS in Oyo State over the invasion of his home in Ibadan on July 1.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls also that Mr Alliyu, counsel to Sunday Igboho, claimed that his client’s house and cars were damaged, while two occupants of the house were killed by SSS operatives during the incident.
But counsel to the AGF, Abdullah Abubakar, had argued that there was no evidence before the court that the blood seen in the video clip tendered by Mr Alliyu belonged to a human being.
Mr Abubakar also said there was nothing in the video clip that showed that the house that was invaded belonged to Igboho or linked the AGF with the invasion.
On his part, the DSS’ lawyer, T. A. Nurudeen, aligned with the submission made by the AGF’s counsel, insisting that there must be proof from a hematologist to show that the blood seen in the video belonged to a human being.
Mr Nurudeen also tendered a video clip which was admitted by the court, where Igboho allegedly threatened to create an Oduduwa Republic, while urging the Yoruba to protect themselves with charms and guns.
