A lecturer of the University of Ibadan, Dr. Martins Fabunmi, who was accused of sexually harassing a female student of the university, Miss Thelma Uzoma Adoseh, leading to his dismissal by the university management got judicial clearing, acquitting him of all allegations.
The embattled don had reported Adoseh, Kolawole Adesina, Peter Ogere and Olufemi Adesina, all students of the university to the police at Sango, Ibadan Divisional Police Station over allegation of assault and armed robbery and upon which they were arrested and later granted administrative bail.
The suspects, however, jumped bail and this informed the police decision to contact their sureties, Messers Ogundele Oyeleke and Adeleye Adebayo, both staffers of the university to produce them following which the sureties approached the applicants to save them from police harassment by producing their children.
But, instead of producing the suspects, the litigants approached the court to file processes against the Nigerian police and joined the embattled lecturer, Fabunmi as co-defendant.
In three separate suits delineated FHC/IB/CS/69/2016, FHC/IB/CS/70/2016 and FHC/IB/CS/71/2016 filed by the parents of the three students arrested; Mrs. Stella Ogere, Major Joseph Adesina (rtd) and Mr. Innocent Lucky Adoseh respectively before Justice J.O. Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, the plaintiffs complained of attempted arrest by the police on alleged offence committed by their children.
The applicants through their counsel, Olapade Delano and Olumide Oridupa argued that their arrest for their inability to produce their children to face charges for the offence allegedly committed by them was “unlawful, unconstitutional and wrongful infringement of their fundamental right to personal liberty and human dignity and freedom of movement’ as guaranteed by the constitution of Nigeria.
They subsequently sought for an order of the court restraining the respondents from violating or infringing on their fundamental rights as well as the payment of N12million as damages.
Dismissing all the claims by the applicants, the judge, having listened to counter arguments by the respondents’ counsel, S.E. Aruwaji (for the Police) and Femi Aborisade and Nweke C. Umunna (for Fabunmi), held that the applicants instituted the suit as a decoy to lure the police authorities from their investigation.
“I find from the entire submissions in applicants’ applications that there is no reasonable cause of action in the motions against the respondents,” Justice Abdulmalik held.
The judge further averred that the applicants failed to debunk the fact that the suspects were not reasonably indicted by the police authorities pursuant to the complaint of Fabunmi to warrant their production by their sureties.
He cited ‘Exhibit J’ as the evidence to assuage the court, which is the letter of apology from applicants’ children and ‘Exhibit E’ which is another letter of apology signed by the parents themselves from which the judge quoted that “we are convinced that the case is a set up against you and we therefore apologise on their behalf and plead with you to tamper justice with mercy”.
The judge said it was curious that parents, whose children were accused of assault and armed robbery or whose daughter was sexually abused would in turn write a letter of apology to the villain, adding, “the ‘Exhibit E’ definitely deflates the hype from the applicants’ suits because it begs reasoning.”
Source:Tribune Nigeria
0 comments:
Post a Comment