A Niger Delta youth activist and gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election, Festus Daumiebi Sunday, has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian Army, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Defence Staff, and the Attorney General of the Federation. He is seeking N20.4 billion in punitive, exemplary, and special damages for infringing on his fundamental rights.
The lawsuit, marked FHC/YNG/183/2024 and filed at the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, is led by a team of lawyers headed by Prof. O. F. Emiri (SAN). It challenges the respondents for unlawfully breaking into Sunday’s six-bedroom duplex and five-bedroom guest house in his country home at Igbomotoru 1 in Bayelsa State, causing significant property damage. Sunday fears for his freedom of movement and personal safety.
The suit seeks to enforce Sunday’s fundamental rights to life, liberty, privacy, freedom of movement, and property ownership. On March 30, 2024, the Nigerian Army invaded Igbomotoru 1 in search of suspects linked to the killing of soldiers in Okuama, Delta State. During this raid, soldiers allegedly broke into Sunday’s home, vandalizing it and exposing his property to theft and destruction. Items lost include Israeli and copper security doors, luxury furniture, TVs, air conditioners, and more.
Daumiebi, a lawyer with ten years of experience and an 18-year interest in real estate, expressed confusion over the security agents’ actions, emphasizing his clean record and dedication to noble causes. He reported the incident to the authorities and, following their inaction, instructed his solicitors to take legal action.
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The suit claims the army’s actions represent a blatant abuse of power, violating the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Sunday seeks court declarations affirming these violations and a ruling that would serve as a deterrent against such abuses of power.
