A pro-democracy non-governmental body, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has applauded the Federal High Court’s unconditional and immediate release of the Director of the Europe-based Radio Biafra and leader of the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) Mr Nnamdi Kanu.

But the group regretted that the Department of State Security Services (DSS) has consistently breached the fundamental human rights of Nigerians because the courts of competent jurisdiction have been too lenient not to consistently slam heavy financial damages against DSS for these historical rights violations.

The rights group queried the deliberate failure to award heavy financial damage against the DSS by the Federal High Court for these gross violations of the human rights of Mr Nnamdi Kanu.

HURIWA has therefore expressed conviction that the Federal High Court Abuja division which freed Mr. Kanu, the political prisoner of conscience should have awarded nothing less than N100 million damages to be paid to the now court released detainee for the flagrant breach of his fundamental rights and for prolonged periods of psychological and physical torture that the Department of State Service had subjected him to in the past weeks.

Citing article 2, sub section 3 (a) (b) and [c] of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, HURIWA stated that the Nigerian court system is under legal obligation to award such deterrent damages against the Department of State Services for often occasioning grave abuses of the rights of Nigerians just as the Rights group specifically affirmed that some operatives of the Department of State Services were captured in pictures and video tapes physically abusing the constitutional rights to human dignity of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu in the few times the security agency produced him (Nnamdi Kanu) in the Wuse zone II magistrate court in Abuja.

Specifically, Article 2 subsection 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights affirms as follows: “Each state party to the present Covenant undertakes: (a) To ensure that any person whose rights or freedom as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity; (b) To ensure that any person claiming such remedy shall have his right thereto determined by competent judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other competent authority provided for by the legal system of the state, and to develop the possibilities of judicial remedy; (c) To ensure that the competent authorities shall enforce remedies when granted.”

HURIWA recalled that justice of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Adeniyi Ademola had on Thursday December 17th, 2015 ordered Nnamdi Kanu’s unconditional and immediate release from DSS underground detention facilities which has lasted for 90 days describing his continuous detention as illegal.

•Photo shows Nnamdi Kanu.

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