In a suit marked as fhc/abj/cs/676/2020, popular facebook influencer and blogger has sued the Nigeria police force, The Aig in charge of Interpol in nigeria, Agf and one Maryam shehu Ifa separately for the sum of #100,000 billion naira each for violating her consitutional right to freedom of speech, expression , and for publishing and declaring her wanted vide a special gazzeted police bulletin and by placing her name and picture at the fcid notice board without a valid court order backing same from from the 1st August 2021 to 29th september 2021 and from from 8th February 2022 till date in that regard. In the suit filed at the federal high court Abuja by an Abuja based activist and human rights lawyer, messers Samuel Ihensekhien jnr esq as the lead counsel alongside other team of lawyers, Blogger ogechi njaka sought for ten different reliefs and prayers from the federal high court and the said new filed suit is in the main seeking the federal high courts interpretative powers to declare null and void the trending online wanted declaration notice and Nigeria police/ red notice Interpol special gazzeted notice declaring her ogechi njaka wanted for a non criminal offense of defamatory issues between her ogechi njaka and one madam Maryam shehu ifa in this regard.
In the filed suit by ogechi njaka, she is contending that the federal high court of Abuja, per coram justice I. E Ekwo of federal high court, which struck out all the court proceedings in suit Fhc/abj/cs/901/2021 filed by the Igp and the interpol against ogechi njaka, where the Nigeria police force and Interpol obtained a court remand order against her for 60days , she was never in the custody of the Nigeria police force and the Interpol.
Which by virtue of Justice I E Ekwo Ruling of on 7th February 2022, due to the undiligence and non appearance of either the Igp and Interpol lawyers ,all court proceedings, remand order, arrest warrant, and court processes as regard the above case filed by the Interpol was struck out by the honourable court, ogechi njaka in her newly filed suit against the Igp and Interpol, now contends that she is now surprised that ,for the non criminal offense of defamation.The Interpol and Nigeria police force will still declare her wanted and take steps to illegally publish her picture as a wanted person in an Interpol special gazzeted police bulletin.
Ogechi njaka also in her newly filed Case, urge the court to uphold the constitutionality of freedom of information dissimenation and free speech, as decided by the court of appeal in nwankwo Vs state as cited in 1985) 6 NCLR 228 .Where the then Olatawura JCA as he was then known ,stated, reasoned and in his specific words, held inter alia:
“We are no longer the illiterates or the mob society our colonial masters had mind when the law was promulgated…To retain Section 51 of the Criminal Code, in its present form, that is even if not inconsistent with the freedom of expression guaranteed by our Constitution will be a deadly weapon to be used at will by a corrupt government or a tyrant…Let us not diminish from the freedom gained from our colonial masters by resorting to laws enacted by them to suit their purpose.”
The laws enacted by “our colonial masters” and imposed on the country include the Official Secrets Act and the provisions of the Criminal Code relating to sedition and criminal libel. As criticism is indispensable in a democratic society Olatawura J.C.A charged the Nigerian people to defend their hard won freedom of expression at all times. According to his lordship:
“The decision of the founding fathers of this present constitution which guarantees freedom of speech which must include freedom to criticize should be praised and any attempt to derogate from it except as provided in the Constitution must be resisted. Those in public office should not be intolerant of criticism. Where a writer exceeds the bounds there should be a resort to the law of libel where the plaintiff must of necessity put his character and reputation in issue.
As at time press time by 4:00pm on 17th May 2022 being yesterday, attempts were being made by counsels to ogechi njaka to serve the Nigeria police police force, the Aig in charge of _Interpol_ , the agf, and counsels to madam Maryam shehu ifa.
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