Seven Boko Haram Suspects Released From Police Custody

Borno State Command of the Nigerian Police Force has set free seven Boko Haram suspects in its custody.

Their release, Ezenwoko’s Blog understands was coming barely a week after an order for their release was issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The court judge, Justice Modupe Olajuwon had on December 1 asked the security forces to release the terrorist suspects declaring that their detention was illegal.

The seven detainees are understood to have spent three years in the police net following their arrest in Maiduguri, Borno state capital.

Legal Counsel to the suspects, Peter Abbo had in a suit argued a fundamental human rights enforcement on his clients.

Ruling in favour of the suspects, Justice Olajuwon asked the Police Force to release them all, while ordering that the sum of N15 million should be paid to the seven over their unlawful detention for three years without trial.

The suspects, who were said to have been arrested inside a Maiduguri market, were allegedly dumped at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) detention facility at Abbatoir in Abuja.

Justice Olajuwon, in the judgment on their fundamental human rights enforcement suit, had held that the detention of the men for three years without trial contravened the provisions of the 1999 constitution.

The judge had said that the police acted in bad faith in keeping the detainees beyond the period required by law especially when there was no cogent and verifiable ground of indictment of the applicants for any offence.

Justice Olajuwon, while holding that the detention was illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional, consequently ordered that the seven applicants be released forthwith to their families.

The judge ordered that each applicant be paid a sum of N2 million as damages for their unlawful detention and another N1 million as the cost of litigation that brought about the judgment.

Counsel to the applicants, Aboh, while confirming the release, told our correspondent that the detainees have just been handed over to him and that they are eager to go back to Maiduguri to reunite with their families after three years of separation.

“As I am talking to you, the seven detainees are here with me having just been released on the order of the federal high court in Abuja issued on December 1.

“Though their detention is arbitrary, unjust and unlawful, they are still happy that police complied with the order of the court and they are in high spirits seeking to travel immediately to Maiduguri where they were arrested,” he said.

He insisted that the detainees were unjustly labelled as Boko Haram suspects by police to justify the unlawful detention.

The applicants Ezenwoko’s Blog understands are Ajiri Bulama Dungus, Gudja Giddah, Adam Mohammed, Wardi Dungus, Fanami Mustapha, Mohammed Abba and Makinka Alhaji Dungus.