From Musa Kutama, Calabar
A High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay N1m in damages to a Cameroonian youth senator, Manghe Romeo Etta, over his unlawful arrest and detention.
Etta, who represents Manyu Division in Cameroon, was arrested by the police over allegations bordering on a stolen vehicle.
Delivering judgment in suit No: HC/146F/2025, the presiding judge, Justice Theresa Agom, held that the arrest and detention of the applicant were unlawful and a violation of his fundamental rights.
The court also ordered the immediate release of Etta’s vehicle, a BMW X1 with registration number MRA 905 AL and chassis number WBAVL1C57CVR78137, which had been seized by the police.
Justice Agom directed the respondents to return the vehicle to the applicant without delay, having failed to justify its continued detention.
Speaking shortly after the judgment, counsel to the applicant, Armstrong Takim Achu of Centurion Chambers, Calabar, said his client was able to establish ownership of the vehicle with credible and verifiable documents.
“The applicant was able to prove ownership with very clear and verifiable documents linking him to the vehicle,” Achu said.
“The respondents, on their part, failed to present any evidence to support their claims or justify the arrest and detention.”
The court, however, awarded N1m in damages against the police, despite the applicant seeking N200m, noting the circumstances surrounding the case.
Achu warned that failure to comply with the court’s ruling could attract legal consequences for the respondents.
“If they fail to comply with this judgment, they will be committing an offence and may be liable for contempt of court,” he added.
Reacting, counsel to the respondents, Nyakno Usen Usoroh, said he would communicate the outcome of the judgment to his clients in line with the court’s directive.