Illegal detention: Court orders businessman to pay ex-employee N25m

By Afusat Agunbiade-Oladipo

A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin on Wednesday awarded N25 million in damages against KAM Integrated Company Ltd. and its Chairman, Dr Kamoru Yusuf, over the unlawful detention of a former employee, Mr Samuel Oniyide, for 23 days.

Justice Ariwoola Junior, who delivered the judgment, held that the detention violated Oniyide’s fundamental human rights, ruling that Yusuf had no constitutional authority to detain him without a valid court order or police warrant.

Oniyide, through his counsel, Mr Taiwo Hammed, alongside Mr Tajudeen Abdullahi, had instituted the fundamental rights enforcement suit after the company accused him of misappropriating more than N5 billion.

The judge also awarded damages against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), holding that its decision to continue investigating a matter already concluded by the police amounted to an abuse of power.

In addition, the court awarded N5 million against the Chief Security Officer of KAM Company, SP Sodiq, for his role in executing the unlawful detention.

However, the court absolved the Commissioner of Police of liability, holding that there was no evidence that he authorised or consented to the detention.

Earlier, Oniyide had urged the court to intervene in what he described as persistent police harassment allegedly instigated by Yusuf, asking that the matter be resolved through due legal process rather than unlawful detention. (NAN)