The Federal Government has said it is considering filing fresh charges against Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba nation activist popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States of America, on Wednesday.
Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court had awarded N20 billion in damages in favour of Igboho against the Department of State Services (DSS) and Malami for “exemplary and aggravated damages” over the DSS invasion of the activist’s home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on July 1.
However, Malami said the position of the Federal Government on the judgment was about “law and jurisdiction”.
He said: “As far as this matter is concerned, which court is it that has the jurisdiction to determine it? And as you rightly know, obedient to court orders and court judgments.
“But then you have to understand within the context of such obedience that there are associated rights and interests that are vested in the Federal Government.
“Inclusive of rights of appealing against a judgment, inclusive of right to file an application for setting aside the purported judgment and order.
“And indeed, inclusive of the possibility of filling a fresh action if indeed the jurisdiction of the court that was alleged to have indeed handed that judgment is an issue.
“So, we are doing the needful in terms of looking at the law as it exists and then working within the context of the law in ensuring that justice is done as far as the contending issues between the parties are concerned.”
The invasion of Igboho’s home led to the arrest of 12 Igboho’s aides, while the wanted activist managed to escape arrest.
Following the raid, Igboho sued the Federal Government and demanded ₦500 million as special damages for the damage done to his house and his car and another N500 billion as exemplary and aggravated damages.
Igboho also sought an order of the court directing the respondents to return all the items seized from the house.
