Comrade Atiku Abubakar Isah, President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to enforce his fundamental human rights.Travel guides
The case, filed on May 14, 2025, and marked Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2025, lists the Director of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), the Director of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and Mr. Seyi Tinubu as the first and third respondents, respectively.
According to court documents, the application, filed by his legal counsel Ugwueze I. Oduegbu and R.O. Ifebhor of Ajunwa & Co., was brought pursuant to the provisions of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution (as amended in 2011), and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, 2004.
The NANS President requests the court to issue an order enforcing his rights, citing alleged violations by the named respondents.
He alleged that his continued detention, media defamation, and alleged abuse by state actors were orchestrated to silence his voice and activism.
In the suit, Comrade Isah is demanding a total of Thirty-Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventy Million Naira (N32,870,000,000) as general damages for the alleged violation of his constitutional rights.
Among the reliefs sought, the applicant is asking the court to declare that “the Respondents’ blatant, kidnapping, adoption and unlawful detention of the Applicant for over 15 days and continuous detention without charging him to any court of competent jurisdiction amounts to total breach of the Applicant’s fundamental human rights to freedom of movement provided for in Chapter iv of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in 2011”.
He is also seeking a declaration that his alleged brutal beating and stabbing with a knife, leading to severe blood loss, physical pain, and trauma, amount to inhuman and degrading treatment, in violation of Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 5 and 16 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Isah is also seeking: “A declaration that the illegal physical threats to life and stabbing of the Applicant with knife by the Respondents so as not to seek for and to abdicate his position as the President of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) amounts to the breach of the fundamental human rights to life of the Applicant and aggravation of the emotional torture arising from the said breach as provided for in Chapter iv of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in 2011.
“An Order of the Honourable Court for the immediate and unconditional release of the Applicant from the detention of the 1st Respondent.
“An injunction against the Respondents restraining them from further kidnapping, beating, detention and physical threats to the life of the Applicant.
“An order of this Honourable Court against the 3rd Respondent to pay the sum of thirty-two billion, eight hundred and seventy million, (N32,870,000,000.00) naira only as General Damages for the breach of the fundamental human rights of the Applicant as stated in paragraphs 1 to 3 above.
“An order of this Honourable Court against the Respondents to pay the sum of five billion, five hundred million (N5,500,000,000.00) naira only to the Applicant as Exemplary damages overall breach of the fundamental human rights of the Applicant as stated in paragraphs 1 to 3 above and twenty percent (20%) compounded interest on the judgment sum till same is totally paid and or the said judgment sum be paid into an interest yielding account of the Honourable Court as a condition of appeal on same.
“However, the grounds upon which the application is brought include the respondents’ blatant kidnapping, abduction, and indefinite detention of the applicant without any intention of release.
“Unprecedented abuse and merciless torture of the Applicant by the Respondents, Inhuman and degrading treatments on the Applicant by the Respondents and Physical threats to the life of the Applicant by the Respondents.”
The court is expected to hear the matter on a date that will be scheduled soon.
Sahara Reporters
