Activist musician and entertainer, Charles Oputa also known as Charly Boy, on Wednesday dragged the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command before the FCT High Court Maitama, Abuja over the alleged attack he faced alongside other Resume or Resign protesters on the 8th of August, 2017.
Joined as respondent in the motion he filed by his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, is the FCT Police Commissioner, In the fundamental rights enforcement suit with reference number FCT/HC/CV/3037/2017 and dated 4th October, 2017; Charly Boy is praying the court to determine “whether the use of teargas canisters, water cannon and wild police dogs by the agents and officers of the Respondent to attack, harass and disperse members of the OurMumuDonDo movement and Concerned Nigerians group during a peaceful demonstration at the Unity Fountain in Maitama, Abuja is not unjustifiable, illegal, unconstitutional and a breach of the Applicant’s fundamental rights to the dignity of the human person, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association and contrary to Sections 34, 39 and 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Articles 5, 9, 10 and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
Upon resolution of the above issue, Oputa is seeking the following reliefs from the court: “An Order compelling the Police to publish a public apology to him in five National Newspapers, and the payment of the sum of N500m as general damages to him for the violation of his fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association on Tuesday, 8th August, 2017 at Unity Fountain in Maitama, Abuja,” the originating motion reads. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
