The legal representatives of Rukhayat Usman Abbeyson, an inmate at the Suleja Correctional Centre, have requested permission for her four-month-old twin babies to be brought to the detention facility daily for breastfeeding.

 

Since their detentions from one police cell to the other; from one prison to the other, this is the daily trauma for the family, the nursing mother, her 4 months old twin female babies, her 3 years old son, her heavily pregnant sister, her aged and sick mother and her Asthmatic brother. Even the Prison officers are traumatised by the ugly scenario. The babies are daily taken to wherever she is detained for breastfeeding/care. After numerous harrowing experiences in the hands of officers, her Lawyer had to write officially for Approval of daily visit.

The request, submitted by M.I Dikko SAN, also seeks urgent medical treatment for Lauretu Ahmed and Segir Ahmed, the mother and brother of Rukhayat, who are also inmates at the correctional center.

Rukhayat, who gave birth to the twins via Cesarean section, is currently standing trial alongside her mother and brother at the High Court of the F.C.T on charges of theft and conspiracy.

Despite the filing of a bail application, the presiding judge, Justice N.K. Nwosu-Iheme of High Court 52 Wuse Abuja, denied bail to the defendants, resulting in their detention at the Suleja Correctional Centre.

The legal team, led by Principal Partner Ishaka Mudi Dikko SAN, highlighted the medical conditions of Lauretu, an elderly woman with a chronic eye illness, and Segir, an asthmatic patient, in their application addressed to the Commandant of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Suleja Command.

The lawyer emphasized the importance of allowing the babies to be brought to the correctional center for daily breastfeeding and ensuring that Lauretu and Segir receive the necessary medical attention while in custody.

Recall that the three individuals, Rukhayat Usman Abbeyson, Lauretu Ahmed, and Sagir Ahmed, were charged with conspiracy and theft by the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court. The accused, all residents of FCT Abuja, are alleged to have conspired and stolen jewelry valued at N300 million from Hajia Halima Suleiman on March 23, 2024.

According to the charge sheet, the theft occurred at Hajia Halima Suleiman’s residence, No. 26 A, Etang Obuli Crescent Jabi, FCT-Abuja. Rukhayat Usman Abbeyson, who worked as a personal assistant to Hajia Halima Suleiman, is accused of being the mastermind behind the theft. The charge alleges that she had access to the safe where the jewelry was kept and was the only person besides the owner who knew the combination to open it.

The list of exhibits includes statements from witnesses and the defendants, a compact disc containing voice notes and calls, bank account statements from Stanbic, Zenith, and Providus banks, purchase receipts, photographs of the stolen jewelry and the safe, and print-outs of chat messages.

In their statements, the defendants claim they are being falsely accused and deny any involvement in the theft.

Rukhayat Ahmed Abbeyson and her mother Lauratu Ahmed have dragged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and her boss, Halima Suleiman, before a Federal High Court, Abuja, for harassment and intimidation over missing jewelry worth about N100 million.

In the suit, the plaintiffs joined the Commissioner of Police, FCT Police Command, CSP Gambo Jimeta, DSP Yahaya Musa, Inspector Mathew Ejah, Inspector Adamu Emmanuel and Inspector Usman Bappah as 2nd to 6th defendants.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/604/2024, filed through their lawyer, Professor M.T. Adekilekun, they prayed the court for a declaration that they are entitled to the protection of their fundamental rights to personal liberty, right to dignity of human person, right to fair hearing as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and that they cannot be deprived of those rights except in the manner prescribed by the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

They prayed the court for exemplary damages in the sum of N500,000,000 against the respondents jointly and severally, for the injury suffered by the applicants as a result of the infringement of their fundamental right to personal liberty and dignity of human persons, harassments, intimidation, threats and public ridicule and another N300,000,000 damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the intimidation, harassment, assault, unlawful arrest and detention of the Applicants.

The plaintiffs also asked the court for a declaration that the unlawful assault, humiliation, harassment, threats, intimidation and detention of the 1st applicant on the instigation of the 8th respondent from March 25 to April 22, 2024 and further threats thereof by the 7th respondents to assault, harass, humiliate, threaten, intimidate and detain the 1st applicant, either directly or through their subordinates or anybody whatsoever is unconstitutional, illegal, wrongful, against the rule of natural justice, against the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the same constitute a gross violation of the applicants’ rights to personal liberty and dignity of human persons as guaranteed and protected respectively by Sections 34, 35, 37, and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Articles 4, 5, 6, 7 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

They further sought an order of the court that the 2nd to 7th respondents, having regard to their functions under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Police Act and their harassments, humiliation, intimidation, and detention of the applicants from March to April 22, 2024 are no longer fit to continue to serve the nation as police officers or in any other position whatsoever.

In the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the plaintiff, a mother of twins said, “That after my delivery and with the consent and permission of the 8th respondent, the 2nd applicant joined us in the house with the purpose of assisting in taking care of Halima Usman and Hadiza Usman (her set of twins).

“That after the delivery of my set of twins and specifically on March 22, 2024 when the 8th respondent was set to go out for a meeting, in the usual way, I went to the safes to pick the right jewelry and gold combinations that matched her dressings.

“That it was at that time that I discovered that a few of the gold items were missing from the bigger safe including my own gold and its box that was given to me during my wedding in 2020, but which I decided to put in the safe for safekeeping.

“That upon the discovery of the missing gold items, I notified the 8th respondent. The 8th respondent replied immediately that those jewelries were not missing and that she saw them not too long ago.

“That later on March 23, 2024, the 8th respondent later called me and instructed that we should both go to the safes together to check for the missing gold items.

“That it was at that point that the 8th respondent shouted at me that she could confirm that the gold items missing were about 15 pieces which according to her were valued at about over N100 million.

“The 8th respondent called all the members of the house to ask them whether any of them took her gold. She immediately threatened that she would invite her juju man, which she called ‘Ovia’ from Benin, to come and look for the missing gold items through traditional spiritual means”.

Consequently, they asked for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents by themselves, their officers, servants, agents and privies from: the continued arrest, restraint, detention, witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation, and persecution of the applicants or threats thereof ostensibly; the pursuit of any excuse whatsoever and fabrication of evidence to harass, intimidate, restrain or justify the harassment, intimidation, arrest/restraint of the applicants in order to impugn their fundamental rights to dignity of human persons, liberty and movement as guaranteed and protected respectively by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation.

They also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondents by themselves, their officers, servants, agents and privies from: (i) the continued arrest, restraint, detention, witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation, and persecution of the Applicant or threats thereof ostensibly; (ii) the pursuit of any excuse whatsoever and fabrication of evidence to harass, intimidate, restrain or justify the harassment, intimidation, arrest/restraint of the Applicants in order to impugn their fundamental rights to dignity of human persons, liberty and movement as guaranteed and protected respectively by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.