Iheanacho, former Interior Minister slams N90bn suit against NIMASA, others

By -


 
*Captain Iheanacho

Former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, has filed a N90billion suit against Nigerian Maritime Admnistration and Safety Agency, NIMASA and its Director General, Mr Zikade Akpobolokemi, before a Lagos High Court sitting in Lagos.
Iheanacho is asking for the money as damages for the alleged assault on him and his false imprisonment.
Integrated Oil and Gas Limited owned by Iheanacho is co-claimants in the suit, while other defendants are NIMASA's Executive Director in charge of Maritime, Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Callistus  Obi and the agency's Head of Public Relations, Hajia Tumaka.
Iheanacho, former Vice President of the Indigeneous Ship Owners' Asscociation, is contending in the suit that as a result of the invasion of his farm tank in Ibafon, Lagos between August 29 and September 28, 2012 by 30 policemen under the command of NIMASA on the allegation that  stolen oil products was being stored in his premises, he was arrest and detained at NIMASA's Search/Rescue/Resource Centre in Kirikiri, Lagos and later at Department of Security Services, DSS, office at Shangisha Lagos, in  violation of his fundamental human rights.
On the allegation against him, he contended that "MT Grace" which discharged the
3000.349 meyric tonnes of diesel oil in his farm tank on the request of PDR  Ventures Limited had the written permissions of all relevant authorities to do so, including  NIMASA, Commanding Officer of  the Naval Base, Beecroft Dockyard, Lagos, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR  and Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.
He is contending in the suit that despite all these permissions and the presence of  the representatives of  these government agencies, when the products were discharged, NINAMA's agents came 13 days after to seal off the farm tanks and arrested and detained five employees of Integrated Oil and Gas Limited.
According to him, the media report of the incidence, made him and his company to suffer "considerable loss and damage" including drop in revenues  and damage to his reputation, as it was it was now difficult for him and Intergrated Oil and Gas Limited to obtain credit from banks and other lending institutions.
He argued that the action by NIMASA and its agents, was a target malice, praying the court to compel the defendants to pay him N90billion as damaged and N349millin plus interest at 25 percent per annum  for misfeasance in public office, malicious falsehood, conspiracy to injure economic interests, trespass to land, defamation, assault and false imprisonment.
He also want the court to compelling all the defendants, NIMASA, Akpobolokemi, Obi and Tumaka to make public retraction and apology in NIMASA's website, and some national newspapers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UBTH @50: Obaseki hails institution’s role in strengthening Edo healthcare

By -
Image
(Nigeria) Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has commended the staff and management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, for their unwavering commitment, dedication, and hard work in providing high-quality healthcare services to the people of Edo State and Nigeria in the past fifty years. Obaseki, at a dinner organized in honour of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Nigeria, at the Government House, Benin City, reassured the government’s continuous partnership and collaboration with the federal government-owned health institution to strengthen the health system and ensure quality health delivery to Edo people. The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, reeled out the gains of the government’s reforms in the health sector, commending the medical centre for bolstering the government’s efforts at transforming Edo State into a health hub. He said, "We came into a wilderness where you have to cut a part for yourself and fix it. We held
Read more

NBC has no powers to impose fine on broadcast stations --Court

By -
Image
(Nigeria) The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has been restrained by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, from imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country. Trial judge in the matter, Justice James Omotosho also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed on March 1, 2019, on each of 45 broadcast stations. The court made the orders in its judgment a suit by the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, which had sued the NBC. Justice Omotosho held that the NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations. The court further held that the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law. He said the court would not sit idle and watch a body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law. He said that the commission did not comply with the law when it sat as a complainant and at
Read more