Seeks sack of service chiefs, N100bn compensation for victims
By Alex Enumah
The candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 governorship election in Adamawa State, Alhaji Said Uba, has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order of the court to compel the president to sack all service chiefs for their alleged failure to curb insecurity in the country.
Uba, who sued Buhari on behalf of himself and the affected victims of insecurity in the northern region, is also praying the court to order the federal government to pay a whopping sum of N100 billion as damages to the victims.
In the suit instituted in Abuja, the AAC governorship candidate contended that the law making protection of lives and property as a major function of Buhari has been grossly violated as occasioned by the alarming rate of insecurity.
Apart from Buhari, other defendants in the court action marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/625/2020; are the Attorney General of the Federation, National Assembly, Senate President, Chief of Army staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff and the Inspector General of Police as 1st to 8th respondents respectively.
Uba is seeking the following reliefs from the court: A declaration that the respondents have failed in their responsibility to protect the lives and properties of Nigerian Citizens which led to the deprivation of lives and indiscriminate destruction of properties in the country.
“A declaration that the rights of the citizens to movement as enshrined in section 37 of the Constitution has been hampered due to the failure of the respondents to adequately address the insecurity challenges in almost every part of the country thereby restricting free movement.
“A declaration that the continuing bombing of the citizens properties particularly in the northern part of the country without curbing or putting an end by the respondents is a gross violation of the rights of citizens to own properties.
“An order directing the 1st respondent to immediately relief the 5th to 7th respondents of their duties for their inability to curb insecurity which is claiming lives and destroying properties of citizens.
“An order directing each of the 1st to 8 respondents to tender a written apology to the Applicant within seven days of the granting of this order in three major national dailies.
“An order directing the respondents to pay the sum of N100 billion jointly and severally to the applicant as aggravated and exemplary damages for the unwarranted killing, kidnapping, banditry, inconveniences which the Applicant is still being subjected to by the incompetence of respondents.
In a 26 paragraph affidavit in support of the originating summon, the plaintiff averred that thousands of people were killed, maimed and injured as a result of the inability to ensure safety of lives and properties as guaranteed by the Constitution.
He further averred that another hundreds of thousands were displaced from their ancestral homes in the northern region due to acts of terrorism and banditry occasioned by the inability of the respondents to give effect to the constitutional provisions.
The matter comes up on March 18, 2021.
