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Igbo Deportees Loses N2Billion Lawsuit Against Lagos State Government Over Illegal Deportation
Dec 6, 2014 – Lagos Court Dismissed N2B Lawsuit Filed Against LASG By Igbo Deportees
Igbo Deportees Loses N2Billion Lawsuit, Legal Case Against Lagos State Government Over Illegal Deportation
A Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a legal case filed by some Igbos who claimed they were deported to their respective states from Lagos.
A judgement in favour of Lagos State Government was entered by Justice Musa Kurya yesterday.
According to him, the lawsuit lacked merit and the allegations could not be substantiated.
The applicants: Rosemary Nathaniel, Friday Ndukwe, Grace Igbochi, Ugulori Tutua, Chinyere Nicholas, and Osondu Mbuto had sought a declaration that their arrest, remand and forceful deportation from Lagos to Onitsha in 2012, on the ground that they were non-indigenes of Lagos was a violation of their personal liberty and freedom of movement.
The applicants had prayed the court to declare that such alleged action of the Lagos State Government was a violation of Sections 35, 41(1) and 42 of the Constitution, and Articles 6,12, 2 and 28 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. They also asked the court to award damages in the sum of N2 billion against the Lagos State Government and its agents, for breach of their rights. The applicants had also sought for an order of the court compelling the respondents to tender a published apology to them in at least three widely circulating national dailies.
The applicants plan to appeal the ruling.
Dorothy California
December 6, 2014 at 6:05 AM
Why were they deported in the first palce
OMOBOLANLE
December 6, 2014 at 10:36 AM
This Igbo deportation case has brought a lot of bad blood between the Lagos State government and the Igbo community in Lagos and its time to put the ill feeling to rest and move on as one people, irrespective of who or where everone comes from. Lagos has become a mini Nigeria of sort and a hot bed of business activities from all manner of people from all over the country. The beauty of Lagos is the harmony that exists amongst the people of all background who have all served to be each others keepers particularly this era of Boko Haram menace facing the country. I am particularly delighted about the resilience and ingenuity of the Igbo people, their naturally gifted talents in the Arts, Literature and the ability to survive where everyone else has failed. However what I hesitate to caution the Igbos is the penchant attitude of attempting to establish a hegimonious territory where they are supposed to be tenants or migrants, afterall everyone is a visitor or a migrant of sort moments you choose to settle in someone else’s land. Every inch of land or territory in Nigeria has an anscestoral history to it that is undisputably sacrosanct and, no legislation no matter how administratively manipulated and or genuinely intentioned takes away the indeginised authority of the people over the land which is vested in them that owns the land for hundreds of years. What the Igbos are tolerated to do in Lagos cannot under any guise be entertained in Igboland a bit and, that in itself should humble every Igbo man resident in Lagos and to appreciate the humility, accomodating and hospitable nature of their Yoruba hosts. Every Nigerian has the right to live anywhere and everywhere in any nuke and crany of Nigeria without any fear of intimidation ofcourse, which includes Lagos; but the sensibility and rights of the indegines must not be taken for granted. London in the UK is largely populated by Asian of Arab descents, Indians, Pakistanees, Iranians, Caribeans, Africans etc. doing all manner of businesses but the ownership of London has never been in dispute. Let those who are in conceited minds recaliberate their mentality of who owns Lagos.
Thou
December 6, 2014 at 9:25 PM
@OMOBOLANLE, you said it all well done! The gentility of the host tribe(Yorubas)should not be taken for granted in any way,shape or form or be misconstrued for stupidity -The Yorubas are natural very warm and amiable people.
Hence whatever tribe that has come to settle in Lagos should be grateful and remain humble to their host tribe.
The hegemonic tendencies of any visiting tribe to Lagos should be crushed at its earliest opportunity.
Thou
December 6, 2014 at 9:40 PM
@OMOBOLANLE, you said it all well done! The gentility of the host tribe (Yorubas) should not be taken for granted in any way shape or form, or be misconstrued for stupidity-The Yorubas are naturally very warm and amiable people.
Hence whatever tribe that has come to settle in Lagos should be grateful and remain humble to their host tribe.
The hegemonic tendencies of any visiting tribe to Lagos should be crushed at its earliest opportunity.
You cannot tie the hands of the person that has invited you to eat from his/her plate.