Embattled Abia journalist, Obinna Don Norman has sued Senator T. A Orji and five others over his continued incarceration by the Police based on the petition filed by the first respondent and others. He is also asking the respondent to pay him N50 million as damages for violating his fundamental human rights.
The journalist who was once an aide to the former Abia State governor is having a running battle with his former boss, a development that led to his arrest in January by the police and later charged to court for cyber stalking. After spend close to two months in the prison custody, he was released on bail, however, he was re-arrested on June 19 by the Police for another offence bordering on issuance of dud cheque to a business man and hotelier, Nweze Francis based in Umuahia.
When he was arraigned in the Magistrate court, the court declined jurisdiction over the matter and the case was transferred to the High Court after he was remanded in prison custody. The embattled journalist in a suit filed by his counsel, Ladu N. Martins with suit No FMC/UM/CS/79/19 at the Federal High Court Umuahia, and dated May 24, 2019 is seeking for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights in the motion exparte.
The respondents in the suit are Senator T. A Orji, Ifeanyi Umere, Francis Nweze, the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police and Sergeant Victor Eden in the matter of application for the enforcement of fundamental human rights.
In a 12 paragraph affidavit in support of the motion sworn in his behalf by his sister, Obinna claimed that the first respondent is the one instigating the 3rd respondent to implicate him in the dud cheque criminality. He also claimed that after he was arrested the second time, that he was taken to the Police headquarters where he was shown two petitions against him, the first one relating to the ‘unrelenting media blackmail of Sen Orji house and office allegedly written by the 2nd respondent, on the instruction of the first respondent. The other petition he said relates to the alleged issuance of dud cheque to the 3rd respondent.
The plaintiff in the suit is seeking a declaration that his arrest on 19th June is unlawful, unconstitutional, and violation of his fundamental human rights. He also seeking for an order of the court compelling the respondent to pay the applicant N50 million as damages for the violation of his fundamental rights.
He is also seeking for an order of the court restraining the respondents by themselves or through agents, servants or proxies from arresting and molesting the applicant in any manner pending the determination of the substantive suit.
