Esther Odediran
An American nurse sues the Nigeria Police Commissioner for Lagos state for an unlawful act after detaining her without trial. The nurse named Kari-Ann R’ouke was in the airport when she was being informed that her Covid-19 Test result has expired and was asked to sleep at the airport for a new Covid-19 test. However, it was later revealed that the Partner she came to meet at Nigeria died whereas, she left him before his death.
Kari’s counsel Ebun-Ola Adegboruwa filed this lawsuit against the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu with the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of State Criminal Investigation Department. She has been detained for over a month for the death of her partner who was later discovered to have died of Cardiac arrest. The nurse have suffered from several illnesses while on detention and in critical need for medical consultation.
She is asking for a compensation fee of N100 million for general, aggravated, special and exceptional damages against the police.
According to her Counsel;
Mrs R’ouke, a certified nurse in America, arrived Nigeria on January 21, 2021, to partner with “someone she met online to establish a humanitarian outfit.
Upon completing her assignment in Nigeria, she departed for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport on February 8, 2021, en-route America.
Kari Ann is asking for a declaration that the police is not entitled to arrest and detain her for an indefinite period of time over a matter that does not disclose any reasonable offence, a declaration that her continued remand in perpetuity without a charge is illegal and unconstitutional and for an order directing the police to forthwith release her from illegal custody.
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She was, however, stopped by the Immigration Department on the ground that her Covid-19 Test result had expired, whereupon she was made to sleep at the airport purportedly for a new Covid-19 test.
It was later the following day that she was informed that she was being arrested because her friend had passed on, unknown to her. She has been in police custody ever since,” which is the major cause the Nurse is suing police commissioner and others for no trial after a long time in detention
Mr Adegboruwa, showed the CCTV footage of the hotel when Kari Ann left her friend in the hotel room in good health in the company of his friends and relatives, all of whom were initially arrested but have now been released.
Kari feels she also have the right to be released in bail like the rest but because she is a foreign citizen her rights are being violated and that is the primary reason the Nurse is suing police commissioner for an unlawful act.
