Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce have filed a suit asking the Federal High
Court to set aside the police summon following their involvement in a
protest last week.
The senators have asked the court for an order of perpetual injunction
restraining the police from any further unlawful harassment, intimidation
or attempt to arrest and detain them in connection with their peaceful
demonstration.
In the fundamental rights suit filed on October 8, 2018, counsel to the
plaintiffs, Mahmud Magaji SAN, asked the court to declare that the threat,
intimidation and unlawful harassment of the applicants by the police via a
letter of invitation, as illegal, unconstitutional and a gross violation
of their fundamental rights as guaranteed under section 34 and 35 of the
1999 constitution.
In addition, the plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the invitation
by the police was initiated by the Commissioner of Police of the FCT who
is the 2nd respondent to harass, molest, intimidate and prevent the
applicants from exercising their fundamental rights under the law.
The Senate President and his co-applicants, therefore, asked the court for
an order directing the respondents to jointly and severally pay them the
sum of N500 million being the pecuniary and exemplary damages arising from
the humiliation and unlawful attempt to arrest the applicants by the
agents of the 2nd respondent.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 5, embarked on a
protest to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and the police, over the outcome of the Osun State
governorship election.
Subsequently, the police summoned the Senate President and the other
senators who were involved in the protest which it described as unruly and
unlawful.