By Our Correspondent
A High Court sitting at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State has ordered the Nigerian Navy to pay Chief Efe Afe, owner of Kayriot Hotel and Suites, Effurun and two other staffs at the hotel the sum of nine hundred thousand naira as damages for Navy’s role in a chaos at the hotel January this year.
The fine covers three related suits on the matter filed separately by Chief Efe Afe, Chief Executive Officer of the hotel (SUIT NO EHC,M14/2014), Mr. Tony Okosun, General Manager (SUIT NO EHC,M16/2014) and Rachael Usen (SUIT NO EHC,M15/2014).
The damages as awarded include Five Hundred Thousand Naira to Chief Afe and Two Hundred Thousand Naira each to Tony Okosu (Manager at the hotel) and Rachael Usen (staff at the hotel).
Charged in the suit as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Respondent respectively were the Nigerian Navy, Chief of Naval Staff and Lt. Uche Akalieze of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, Delta, Warri Naval Base whose pleasure trip in company of two friends at the hotel resulted in the chaos which provoked the suit.
In the October 8 ruling on the suits by Chief Afe following the hotel’s brush with the Navy, the court also ordered the Navy to tender unreserved public apology to the applicant within two weeks of the judgment as contained in certified true copy of the judgment made available to journalists in Warri.
Trial Judge in the case, Justice Roli Daibo Harriman ruled that “with regard to what happened on January 30th 2014, the 3rd Respondent and other officers of the respondents intimidated, harassed, threatened and destroyed the property of the applicant on 30th January 2014.
“The arrest and detention of the 1st and 2nd respondent (Chief Afe and his hotel manager respectively) on 31st January 2014 is unconstitutional and violates the applicants’ fundamental human rights as contained in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
“The respondent whether by themselves, their agents, servants, privies or howsoever called are hereby restrained from further arresting or detaining the applicant based on the facts leading to this application.”
Chief Afe, represented in the trial by M.O. Omonade of Festus Keyamo Chambers, had instituted the case asking for N1,000,000,000.00 (N1B) in damages against the Nigerian Navy after a brawl involving an officer of the NNS, Delta reportedly left a Mobile Police guard in coma, a staff assaulted and properties damaged at the Kayriotte Hotels & Suites.
