Army to pay actress N1.25m for assault

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Friday ordered the Nigerian Army to pay the sum of N1, 250,000 and publish a written apology in at least two national dailies to a Nollywood actress, Ebere Ohakwe, as compensation after she was beaten up by men of the Nigerian Army in February 2017.

Ohakwe, popularly known as Jewel Infinity, was travelling in a public bus from Port Harcourt, Rivers State to Onitsha, Anambra State when operatives of the Nigerian Army stationed at Omagwa axis of the Port Harcourt Airport Road stopped the vehicle for a routine stop-and-search and, in the process, physically assaulted her.

The Federal High Court presided over by Justice Adamu Mohammed had earlier ruled on the matter in March 2018.

Mohammed had ordered the defendants (Nigerian Army) to pay the sum of N1m to the plaintiff as compensation for infringing on her fundamental human rights.

But the Nigerian Army through its counsel filed an application to the court to set aside the judgment and resume fresh hearing.

Counsel for the plaintiff, Chime Chime, in a counter-application, urged the court to dismiss the defendant’s submission.

Mohammed, however, struck out the application of the Nigerian Army, stating that it lacked merit.

The judge awarded N250,000 against the defendants in addition to N1m the security outfit was expected to pay to the victim, as well as a written apology to her to be published in at least two national dailies.