A few weeks after a petition was written against her for allegedly beating up a clerk at the Federal High Court Lagos, Justice Rita Ofili- Ajumogobia has been sued for "unlawfully" ordering detention of a lawyer.
Ofili-Ajumogobia was recently accused of beating up the clerk working under her, Mr. Israel Okodugha.
The lawyer, Mr. John William Dong, who brought the suit before a Lagos High Court at Igbosere, alleged that the judge was guilty of abuse of judicial power.
Dong is claiming N5 million damages against Ofili- Ajumogobia for ordering his arrest and detention for four hours without any charge or trial.
In the suit with reference number M/571/2013, the judge and the Superintendent of Prisons in charge of FHC Prisons Cell are first and second respondents.
The processes in the suit have been served on the judge and the prisons superintendent. But both of them are yet to file any response. No date has been fixed for trial.
But the lawyer is seeking an order declaring that his arrest and detention without a charge or trial was extrajudicial, arbitrary, unlawful and amounted to infringement of his rights to dignity of human person and personal liberty guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
He is also asking for an order directing the judge to tender a letter of unreserved apology to him within seven days of judgement, or pay him N5 million damages in the alternative.
In his affidavit supporting the suit, Dong claimed that he had filed a suit before the Federal High Court Lagos, for protection of minority shares of a firm, JND Projects Limited.
He added that the suit was initiated on the grounds that the company was being run in an unfairly prejudicial manner arising from fraudulent withdrawals and stealing of the firm's money by two directors who hold 70 per cent equity of the company.
He alleged that a lawyer (names withheld), aided the two directors to open accounts for the company with forged resolutions and through which over N50 million was stolen from the firm.
National Mirror