By Ade Alabi
The Federal High Court in Abuja has awarded N3 million in damages against the Nigerian Army and several personnel over the assault of a Deputy Director at Command Secondary School Ipaja in Lagos State.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho described the brutalisation of the school official, Ambrose Akhigbe, as barbaric and unacceptable in a democratic society governed by the rule of law.
Akhigbe, an Assistant Vice Principal (Academics), told the court that he was attacked by soldiers after recording a video showing a female student allegedly subjected to inhumane punishment within the school premises.
The court held that the applicant proved he was severely beaten by the soldiers, sustained head injuries, and had his phone forcibly accessed during the incident, which occurred in June 2024.
Justice Omotosho ruled that the actions of the respondents violated the applicant’s fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
The court consequently awarded N3 million in damages jointly and severally against the Army and the other respondents, stressing that physical assault cannot be justified under any circumstance within a lawful society.
