A judge of a Lagos Federal High Court, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia has been dragged before a Lagos High Court, Igbosere, over alleged abuse of judicial power.
Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia was recently accused of throwing caution to the wind by descending heavily on a clerical officer attached to her office, beating him to coma and drawing blood in the process.
This time around, a Lagos-based lawyer, John William Dong is claiming N5 million damages against Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia for ordering his arrest and detention for four hours without any charge or trial.
Dong in the suit with reference number M/571/2013, listed the judge and the Superintendent of Prisons in charge of FHC Prisons cell, as first and second respondents respectively.
Mr. Dong is specifically seeking an order declaring that his arrest and detention without a charge or trial was extra-judicial, arbitrary, unlawful and amounts to infringement on his rights to dignity of human person and personal liberty guaranteed by the constitution.
The lawyer also seeks further an order directing the judge to tender a letter of unreserved apology to him within seven days of judgment, or pay him N5 million damages in the alternative.
The lawyer, in an affidavit in support of the suit, averred that he filed a suit before the FHC for protection of minority shares of a firm, JND Projects Limited.
Dong recalled that the suit was commenced on the grounds that the affairs of the company was being run in an unfairly prejudicial manner arising from fraudulent withdrawals and stealing of the company’s monies by two directors who hold 70 percent equity of the company.
He alleged that a lawyer, Victor Ihekweazu of Chikwem Chambers aided the two directors to open accounts for the company with forged resolutions and through which over N50 million was stolen from the company.
Dong further alleged that the said Ihekweazu colluded with one of the directors to also forge a letter of instruction for the firm of Chikwem Chambers to conduct the case for the company.
He added that due to the petition, all the lawyers in Chikwem Chambers became hostile towards him, and that after one of the proceedings in the matter before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, there was a disagreement between him and one Anthony Eze, who is also a lawyer from the said Chikwem Chambers.
He stressed that the said Eze later returned to the judge in chambers to explain certain things that he was not privy to, and later the judge in a bizarre manner and without hearing from him, ordered his arrest and detention.
Already, the processes in the suit have been served on the judge and the Prisons Superintendent, but they are yet to file any response.
No date has also been fixed for hearing.
