Ferry Gberegbe: Court Orders Hearing Notice Be Served On Defendants, Adjourns To June 14
A Port-Harcourt High Court has ordered that a hearing notice be served on two defendants in the case brought by wife to late Dr. Ferry Gberegbe who was allegedly killed by officers of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in INEC Collation Centre in Bori in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State on 10th of March in the 2019 General Elections.
Ferry Gberegbe’s widow, Ronke, had filed a fundamental rights suit against the Nigeria Police and SARS Commander in Rivers State, Akin Fakorede, and asked that the two defendants pay the sum of eight hundred million naira as compensation for the violation of the right to life of her late husband.
The first defendant in the case is the Nigeria Police Force while the second defendant is the Commander of SARS in Rivers State, Akin Fakorede.
Counsel to the complainant, Barrister Lezina Amegua, had said in an interview two days before the case was to come up for first hearing before Justice Adolphus Enebeli at the High Court that his client filed the suit through a Fundamental Rights Procedure, which is a special procedure used in filing a lawsuit which involves fundamental human rights.
He said that the fundamental rights procedure is needed when someone’s rights are violated saying that his client filed the fundamental rights suit and is asking for damages because the right to life of her husband was violated.
The court sat over the case last Wednesday, 22nd May, but the defendants were not in court and were also not represented by any lawyer.
However, counsel to complainant in the case, Barrister Amegua, was in court for the hearing and told the court that the defendants had ignored the matter.
The presiding judge, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, ruled that the case be adjourned to 14th June, 2019 and that hearing notice be served on the first and second defendants.
Barrister Amegua said in an interview after the sitting that justice would be done in the case.
