Ex-Senator appeals ruling to pay N100, 000 for slapping newspaper vendor

A former senator from Akwa Ibom State, Anietie Okon, has filed an appeal against a court judgment which ordered him to pay N100, 000 to a newspaper vendor whom he allegedly assaulted in the state.

The newspaper vendor, Ndifreke Etim, had accused Mr. Okon of slapping him in September 2015 at the Akwa Ibom Government House, Uyo, where he went to sell newspapers.

Mr. Etim, a vendor in the Government House, said he did not know why the former senator picked on him, among other newspaper vendors who were within the premises.

Mr. Etim claimed three able-bodied men, who may have been Mr. Okon’s bodyguards, stood by to watch as the former senator attacked him.

A High Court judge in Uyo, Justice Winifred Effiong, after listening to a civil suit filed in 2016 by Mr. Etim against Mr. Okon, held that the action of the former senator was degrading, and that it was against Mr. Etim’s right to the dignity of his person as guaranteed by Section 34(1) of the Constitution, as well as the African Charter on Human and people’s right.

The court, besides granting an order that Mr. Okon should pay N100, 000 as damages to Mr. Etim, also granted an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the former senator or his agents from further breaching the applicant’s fundamental human rights.

It also ordered the former senator to pay additional N50, 000 as the cost of the litigation to Mr. Etim.

Mr. Okon’s lawyer, Ekemini Udim, told PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday, that his client had gone to the Court of Appeal, Calabar, to challenge the judgment of the trial court, which he said was given in error.

The former senator is saying there was no proof that he infringed on the fundamental human rights of the vendor.

He said Mr. Etim mostly relied on newspaper report as a “proof” that he was assaulted.

“No matter how small the money (for damages) is, what we are saying here is that the judgment was wrong,” Mr. Udim, the lawyer to the former senator, said.

“What’s involved here is the reputation of someone – a reputation that has been built over the years.”

NdianAbasi Udofia, the lawyer to the newspaper vendor, said he was ready to go to the Court of Appeal to obtain justice for his client.

Mr. Udofia has been doing the case pro-bono for the vendor

Comments

The story of how Nigeria’s census figures became weaponized - Feyi Fawehinmi

By Feyi Fawehinmi The story of Nigeria’s 1962 census never gets old. Southern politicians seeking to end the north’s dominance of Nigerian politics decided that the only way to do it was through the census. Population figures at the time determined not only parliamentary representation but also revenue allocation and employee distribution in the civil service. In May 1962, the first census under an independent Nigerian government began. There had been a frenzy of mobilization by politicians in the south of the country using pamphlets, radio, schools, churches and mosques. Although the final results were not made public, the preliminary results were quite clear as to what had happened: the north’s population had gone up from 16.5 million in the last census in 1952 to 22.5 million, an increase of 30%. But in some parts of the east, the population had increased by up to 200% and more than 70% in general. The west also reported an increase of 70%. What the preliminary results showed...

Concerns grow over Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba's mental state at Manchester United

Telegraph UK Jose Mourinho is facing a serious battle to revitalise his star signings Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba amid growing concerns about their state of mind at Manchester United as Zlatan Ibrahimovic quit the club to join Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States. Sanchez has admitted his struggles at Old Trafford in the wake of his January move from Arsenal have left him “emotionally and psychologically exhausted”. And Pogba has appeared relieved to join up with the French squad this week and escape his current club woes under Mourinho, with France coach Didier Deschamps admitting the midfielder’s problems at United were “complicated” following heart-to-heart talks between the pair. Concerns over Sanchez and Pogba came as Mourinho launched yet another defence of his reign at United and brand of football and LA Galaxy prepared to announce on Friday that Ibrahimovic has signed a two-year deal to join the Major League Soccer outfit after his short spell at Old Trafford w...

Game Of Thrones Finale Breaks Record Again

The finale of the 7th season of HBO hit show “Game of Thrones” has again broken the record to become HBO’s most watched show ever. The episode “The Dragon and the Wolf” was seen by 12.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. HBO said when views from streaming service HBO Go and its stand-alone HBO Now app are included, that number rises to a whooping 16.5 million viewers. The 12.1 million viewers is a 36 percent improvement from last season finale which was seen by 8.9 million people. The previous record for the most watched HBO show belonged to, fittingly, episode 5 of the 7th season Game of Thrones, which was seen by 10.7 million viewers. HBO added that this season averaged 31 million viewers per episode once all live, time-shifted, on-demand, and streaming views are included. This is another record set by the show.

ATTENCAO

Search This Blog