Court warns DSS against delay tactics in Bayelsa youth activist illegal detention suit

… adjourned case till February 12, 2024

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

Justice Ebiyon Duke Charlie of the Bayelsa State High Court, on Friday, warned the Department of State Security (DSS) against the use of delay tactics in the illegal detention suit filed by the Bayelsa Youth Activist, Mr Collins Trueman Opumie.

Justice Ebiyon Duke Charlie also warned that, henceforth, all parties in the suit numbered YHC/324/2022 against the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and the Department of the State Security (DSS) must be present in court on the next adjourned date or face a fine of N500,000.

The presiding judge made this known after hearing the cross-examination of Collins Trueman Opumie by the police counsel.

The judge also overruled the applications by the police and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Counsels to allow them to call additional witnesses due to the absence of the DSS counsel in court.

The judge also overruled the application by the police to open their case and called their witness on the grounds that all the defendants were to open their case and close same day.

Meanwhile, Agip applied to call an additional witness which has yet to be taken on the next adjourned date.

The claimant, Bayelsa Opumie, has, however, closed his cases against the three defendants, the Nigerian Police, the Nigerian Agip Oil Company and the DSS. The three defendants are expected to open their defence at the next adjourned date.

The presiding Judge, Justice Ebiyon Duke Charlie, after the conclusion of cross-examination from the Police adjourned the suit till February 12th, 2024.

Speaking at the end of the court sitting, the Counsel to the Claimant, Ebipreye Sese Esq assured that his client, Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie believes the court is his last resort to get justice over his alleged arrest and detention in underground detention facilities in Abuja for 730 days by the Department of State Security (DSS).

The Bayelsa Youth Activists, Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie, had filed a suit against his illegal arrest and detention with demands for the sum of N9 billion in damages.

He is also praying the court to declare that his arrest, torture and subsequent detention without proper food and medical attention and access to family members for two years for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

In his eight prayers before the Court, Opumie sought the order of the court against the defendants jointly and severally “for damages suffered as a result of the false imprisonment for two (2) years under the custody of the DSS (2nd set of defendants) in their prison facilities without bail or arraignment in a court of law at the instance of the Agip (1st set of defendants) false and malicious complaints/reports against him.

“An injunction restraining the 2nd and 3rd set of defendants from further harassing or attempts to arrest and detain the claimant at the instance of the 1st set of defendants.”

Opumie, who is an indigene of Opuama Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government area of the State and among Niger Delta Youths that embraced the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), in his statement of claims, accused the DSS in Yenagoa of allegedly abducting him at the instance of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in a Gestapo style, physically and mentally torture him, tie and throw him into the boot of a vehicle and taken to Abuja like a common criminal without the knowledge of his family and access to medical care.