Rita Odafe
A suit seeking the enforcement of fundamental rights worth N50 billion, initiated by Philip Shaibu, the former Deputy Governor of Edo State, against former Governor Godwin Obaseki and others has been thrown out.
This ruling was delivered on Monday by the Federal High Court located in Abuja.
Justice Peter Lifu made the decision to dismiss the suit after receiving a request for withdrawal from Anita Oteh, who represented Shaibu.
During the hearing, Oteh informed the court that the parties involved had resolved their differences, warranting the withdrawal of the case.
However, Aliyu Abdulkadir, who represented the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as the fourth defendant, stated he was unaware of any settlement.
He expressed that, should there be any agreements, they should be formally notified to ensure everyone is on the same page.
“Though we don’t oppose the withdrawal request and won’t seek costs, I have a small request,” he added.
Abdulkadir requested the court not to dismiss the case, but Oteh countered, advocating for the acceptance of their withdrawal motion.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu emphasized that since there were already issues raised in the case, the appropriate action was to dismiss it.
“Given that issues have been raised here, this suit is unequivocally dismissed,” he stated.
In the writ of summons, Shaibu named the Edo State Governor, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services, the AGF, and the Attorney General of Edo as defendants, listed as 1st to 5th.
In the case identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/914/2024, which was dated July 4, 2024, but filed on July 19, 2024, Shaibu sought specific reliefs through his attorney, Egwuaba Reuben.
The former deputy governor requested a court order awarding him N50 billion for aggravated damages against the defendants for allegedly infringing his fundamental rights unlawfully.
He also sought a perpetual injunction to prohibit the defendants and their agents from further detaining or arresting him, as well as from taking any adverse actions against his fundamental rights concerning related matters without court permission.
The plaintiff also demanded a sum of N100 million to cover the costs associated with filing the suit.
In his sworn statement, Shaibu claimed he was elected as deputy governor of Edo, with his term scheduled to end on November 11, 2024.
He alleged that, at the instigation of Obaseki and with assistance from the I-G, he was unlawfully removed from office prior to the end of his term, an issue he stated is currently before the court.
Additionally, he contended that once he was removed, the I-G withdrew all security personnel assigned to protect him until the conclusion of his tenure.
On July 2, 2024, Shaibu noted that he became aware of a government notice demanding the return of 22 official vehicles under his care, among other actions.
Thus, he requested the court to recognize that the attempt by the first defendant (Obaseki) to provoke the other defendants into arresting him was unlawful and constituted an infringement of his fundamental rights as outlined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), among other requests for relief.
Earlier, on July 17, 2024, Justice James Omotosho from a related court had reinstated Shaibu as Deputy Governor, three months after the Edo House of Assembly had removed him.
Justice Omotosho ruled that the impeachment by the House was invalid.
