OSSIEC, Chairman Sue Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and the Osun State Commissioner of Police.
Hashim Akintunde Abioye, Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), sued Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector General of Police, and Osun State Commissioner of Police.
For the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of OSSIEC officials, including ad-hoc staff, during the 2025 Local Government Elections, they are seeking N2 billion in damages.
The lawsuit, which was submitted to the Federal High Court, Osogbo Judicial Division, alleges that the defendants’ actions infringed upon the fundamental rights of OSSIEC personnel, which include their private life, liberty, and dignity.
The commission is seeking declarations that the arrest and detention of its staff members during Saturday’s council elections were unlawful, as well as an order mandating the defendants to pay N2 billion in damages, in its suit No. FHC/OS/CS/41/2025, which was filed on Tuesday by its counsel, Maruf Adediran Esq.
In light of OSSIEC’s peaceful, free, and fair election on February 22, 2025, the lawsuit found the defendants’ acts inappropriate.
The following individuals were named as defendants in the suit: the Inspector General of Police and the Osun State Commissioner of Police.
The first two plaintiffs were OSSIEC and Hashim Akintunde Abioye, who was the chairman of OSSEIC.
The second plaintiff was suing on behalf of all staff, including ad hoc staff, for the 2025 Local Government Elections.
The suit filed to enforce fundamental rights is based on the following: Sections 34 (1), 35 (1), 35(6), 36, 41, 44, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and the African Charter on Human and People’s Right (Ratification And Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, CAP A9, LFN 2004; and the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009, Order 1 Rule 1 and Order 2 Rules 1 & 2.
The Plaintiffs requested, “A declaration that the plaintiffs generally, severally and variously are entitled to enjoy their fundamental rights to liberty, right to private life, right to dignity of human person as enshrined under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“A declaration that going by the provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the conduct of the defendants was not justified in arresting and detaining the plaintiffs’ staff for days in the first place, particularly in relation to the election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd day of February 2025, thereby the arrest and detention was illegal, unlawful, while the threat of further arrest and/or continuing detention of the plaintiffs’ staff by the defendants is illegal, unlawful.
“A declaration that going by the provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the defendants were not justified by their act of invading/sealing off the plaintiffs’ office premises and threat to arrest the plaintiffs and their staff in flagrant disregard for the right to private life, right to liberty particularly in relation to the peaceful, free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.
“An order directing the defendants to immediately vacate and unseal the plaintiffs’ office premises and immediate release of the plaintiffs’ staff arrested by the defendants in relation to the peaceful, free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.
“An order restraining all the defendants from arresting, detaining and/or taking any step or further step or doing anything capable of hampering the fundamental rights of the plaintiffs to liberty, private life and property as enshrined under the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights particularly in relation to the free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.
“An order directing all the defendants jointly and severally to pay to the plaintiffs a sum of N2 billion as damages, for instigating the breach and actual breach of the fundamental rights of the plaintiffs and her staff to liberty, dignity and private life.
“And for such further or other orders as this honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this case.
“The plaintiffs’ fundamental rights to liberty and private life are being hampered by the activities of the defendants as they have collaborated to deny the plaintiffs their right particularly in relation to the free and fair election conducted by plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.”