A soldier, Lance Corporal Martins Idakpani, has sued the Nigerian Army the Chief of Army Staff and the Attorney General of the Federation over the arrest and detention of he and his wife, Victoria, claiming it was a breach of their fundamental human rights.
Mrs Idakpini was arrested last week barely days after her husband, Lance Corporal Idakpani, berated the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen Tukur Buratai; and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, in a video which went viral on the Internet.
The soldier had called on senior officers in the Army to resign for failing in the war against terrorism.
In the suit filed on their behalf by their lawyer, Mr Tope Akinyode, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the applicants are seeking an order to compel the respondents to release her immediately.
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In a supporting affidavit deposed to on their behalf by one Apeh Abuchi, the couple said they had been denied access to a lawyer and had not been informed of the alleged crime they committed since their arrest last week.
Shedding light on the development, Akinyode, who is the National President, Revolutionary Lawyer’s Forum, In a signed statement on Monday, described the continued detention as illegal.
Akinyode said: “We have just filed an action at the Federal High Court against the Nigerian Army, Chief of Army Staff and the Attorney of the Federation of Nigeria over the unlawful arrest and detention of Lance Corporal Martins and his Wife, Mrs Victoria Idakpini.”
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