By Nwabueze Okonkwo, Onitsha
The founder of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and leader of the Biafra Independence Movement (BIM), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has filed a suit against the Imo State Police Command at the High Court of Imo State, Owerri Judicial Division, over an alleged breach of his fundamental human rights.
In the suit, filed through his counsel M. O. Anyanwu Esq. of Fidel Deum Attorneys, Uwazuruike is seeking ₦100 million as general damages for alleged violations of his rights to liberty, freedom of movement, and peaceful assembly, as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The respondents in the suit include ACP Oladimeji Odeyiwa (Commander, Tiger Base, Owerri), ASP John Ebute, ASP Eze Jet, Inspector Alice Zakari, the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Police Service Commission.
Uwazuruike, in his motion, is asking the court to declare that a police invitation dated October 16, 2025, directing him to appear at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (Tiger Base) on October 20, 2025, violates his rights. He claimed the date coincides with a planned nationwide peaceful protest demanding the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
He further prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further harassing, inviting, or detaining him.
In an affidavit supporting his application, Uwazuruike stated that he had lived peacefully in Owerri and had not been previously invited by the police until after he publicly declared his support for a peaceful protest.
His counsel argued that the police action breached his constitutional rights to liberty and freedom of movement and urged the court to grant all the reliefs sought.
The case, which many observers describe as a significant test of Nigeria’s commitment to fundamental rights, is expected to come up for hearing at the High Court of Imo State in the coming days.
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