Four survivors of the recent recruitment exercise of the
Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, that resulted in the death of
eighteen persons nationwide, yesterday, dragged the Federal
Government to court.
In an originating summons they entered before the Abuja Division
of the Federal High Court, the plaintiffs, Charles Ugwuonye, Friday
Danlami, Chinedu Onwuka and Samson Ojo urged the court to
declare that the conduct of the recruitment exercise was illegal,
unwarranted and amounted to a gross violation of the applicants’
fundamental rights to life.
Those they prayed the court to summon before it yesterday
included the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, the Attorney
General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed
Bello Adoke, SAN, Nigerian Immigration Service and its
Comptroller General, Mr. David Shikfu Parradang.
The plaintiffs, who filed the matter on behalf of themselves and
other applicants that participated in the NIS ‘killer job’, urged the
high court to restrain the NIS from spending the money realised
from the recruitment exercise.
Besides, in the case which they entered under sections 33, 34 and
44 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the equivalent
articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right Act,
the plaintiffs, equally want the court to order the respondents to
refund the recruitment money back to the applicants, as well as,
pay the sum of N1million to each applicant that took part in the
unfortunate exercise.
More so, the plaintiffs, prayed the court to award the sum of N50m
to families of the deceased applicants as general damages and
also declare that the federal government, violated the applicants
right to protection from inhuman and degrading treatment, right to
dignity of the human person, right against discrimination on the
basis of the circumstances of birth, and right against unlawful
taking of the property of a person; under Sections 33, 34, 42 and
44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
Moreover, the plaintiffs, prayed the court for an order declaring
that the respondents, particularly the Minister of Interior and
Comptroller General of the NIS, owed the duty of honesty and
candor to the applicants regarding the true purpose and intention
behind the recruitment exercise.
They further sought a declaration that the respondents,
particularly the Minister of Interior and the Controller General of
the NIS, had a duty to superintend the recruitment exercise in a
safe and healthy manner with due consideration to lives and well
being of those who applied for or participated in the exercise.
“An order declaring that the Nigerian Immigration 2014
Recruitment Exercise was carried out in a manner that was
motivated by greed and corrupt intentions and without any realistic
plan to offer the applicants employments.
“An order declaring that the respondents do not have the power to
appropriate any funds raised by them from the recruitment
exercise, even if not otherwise illegal, but must remit such funds
to the Federation Account”.
The applicants further want the court to grant an order of interim
injunction restraining the respondents from spending any of the
funds raised from the exercise and an order of perpetual injunction
restraining the respondents from spending any of the funds raised
from the recruitment exercise.
Likewise, to direct the respondents to refund each applicant the
sum of N1,000 which he or she paid to participate in the
recruitment exercise and also an order directing the respondents
to pay general damages in the amount of N1m to each living
applicant for the violation of their rights.
In addition, they prayed the court to make an order directing the
respondents to issue a written apology to the applicants, which
shall be published in five Nigerian newspapers and on the main
website by the 5th respondent and which shall remain posted on
the said site for three years in memory of those who died during
the recruitment exercise. The case has not been assigned to any
judge for hearing.
Meanwhile, Niger State government has said that the corpse of
one of the prospective applicants who died at the Minna centre
during the recruitment exercise stampede is yet to be claimed at
the Minna General hospital mortuary. The deceased has been
identified as Ibrahim Isah Mohammed.
Secretary to the Niger state government, Alhaji Isah Ndako who
made this known when Minister of State on Agriculture, Hajiya
Asabe Asmau Ahmed paid a condolence visit to the state also said
that the name of the other deceased identified to be a female could
not be ascertained because she was not registered at the hospital
when she was brought. He, however, said that steps have been
taken by the state government to locate the family for proper
documentation.
Alhaji Ndako confirmed that a female and a male died in the
stampede while 14 people were injured, adding that from the
official report sent to the state government from office of the
immigration in the state, over 14,000 persons reported for the
exercise.
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