A Special Assistant to Governor Umo Eno, Hon. Smart Jaja, has instituted a Five Hundred Million Naira lawsuit against the Nigerian Army, 6th Battalion, Ibagwa, over wrongful arrest and detention.
Jaja, an Aide to the Governor representing Ward 9 in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area of the state, together with Elisha Pepple, Johnny Pepple, Noah Pepple, Obadiah Pepple and 32 other youths of Kampa Village of the LGA, are said to have been arrested on 10th September, 2024, by men of the Nigerian Army after being serially brutalized and wounded. They were taken to the Army Baracks at Ibagwa, Abak LGA, where they have allegedly been held behind bars for about 2 weeks without trial.
“The Applicants are indigenes of Kampa Village in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area of lbom State. They are members of the youth population of the said Village. The 1st Applicant is the serving SA (Special Assistant) to the Governor of Akwa lbom State representing Ward 9, Eastern Obolo LGA of Akwa lbom State.”
“The Applicants were arrested at night in the house of the 1st Applicant where they had gathered as a central take-off point for a peaceful protest at dawn against the unwholesome oil and gas exploration activities of Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Limited and their subsidiary/ partner – Natural Oil Services Limited.”
“The day before their arrest, the Applicants had stopped the oil company from driving out trucks loaded with crude oil extracted from Kampa Village. The youth demanded to know the authority given to the companies to transport crude by land and in anger and frustration, the companies deployed members of the Nigerian Army to come into the community and arrest the inquisitive youths”, part of the Petition obtained by TheMail read.
According to the Petition, Mr. Jaja’s wife, Mbetobong Smart Jaja had on Monday, 16th September, 2024, visited the Ibagwa Barracks, where she learnt of grand conspiracy to ‘eliminate’ her husband, “for always demanding that the oil and gas exploration companies should follow due process and the law, in their activities, especially, the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“Recently, the company (Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Limited and its subsidiary company and partner-Natural Oil Services Limited) brought tankers and loaded them with crude oil with intent to drive them out of the village. The youths of the community sought to know from them if they have the authorization of the Federal Government of Nigeria and of all other critical stakeholders in the petroleum industry to lift and transport RAW CRUDE in trucks by land.”
“The youths then stopped the vehicles for the time being while wailing for the needed explanation with documentary evidence. The youths also notified the security agencies of the attempt by some persons to drive RAW CRUDE out of the community in trucks.
“The youths then thought it wise to raise awareness by way of a peaceful protest. They then came together in my husband’s compound and wrote inscriptions on placard preparatory to their being used at the planned protest that was intended to draw attention of the government to the seemingly illegal action of the companies. While the preparations were being made, officers and men of the Nigerian Army arrived the compound and arrested everyone they could lay hands on”.
Mr. Jaja, through his Lawyer, Ekemini Udim, Esq., is praying the Court to declare that their arrest and detention by the Nigerian Army, is a violation of their rights to freedom of movement and personal liberty, guaranteed by Sections 35 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and therefore unlawful.
Other Reliefs sought include “an order directing the Officer Commanding Wellington Bassey Military Barracks, lbagwa, to bring before this court for assessment of their physical states and wellbeing, without delay, the Applicants in this suit and all other persons in their custody that were arrested at Kampa Village of Eastern Obolo Local Guoernment Area of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday, 10th September, 2024.”
“The sum of N500,000,000. (Five Hundred Million) Naira as damages and compensation against the Respondents in favour of the Applicants.”
A well placed source in the community who doesn’t want his name on print said the protest was to draw attention to the continued environmental pollution pepetrated by the company against the community and its inhabitants.
“Part of the facts is that it was the community youths led by Hon. Smart that alerted ‘Operation Delta Safe’ (OPDS) of the Nigerian Army about the lifting of crude oil in tankers. The OPDS responded and impounded four Tankers loaded with crude oil about to be taken out from Kampa. Sterling Global deployed the military personnel from Ibagwa who provide security at the company against OPDS resulting in a standoff that lasted more than three weeks. The planned protest was to draw attention to the situation and also to the environmental pollution of the community by the company.
“But the protesters were arrested since 10th September at the instance of the company. Their continued illegal incarceration is to give the company, under the cover of the army, ample time to continue the oil bunkering. It is a terrible situation”, said our source.
