Igwe Dennis Nwaokpara, a retired naval officer, has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to order the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to pay him N12 billion in damages for its role in his removal from Kenya.
Nwaokpara, who owns an agro-allied business in the East African country, claims that the Kenyan Immigration Service deported him to Nigeria hours after he arrived at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on a request from the NIS.
In his fundamental rights application in suit FHC/L/ C3/895/2022, filed through his counsel, Mr Ademola Owolabi, the applicant claimed that the incident occurred on June 10, 2017.
He also claimed that he was detained and handed over to the Police Special Fraud Unit by the NIS, and that there was no court proceeding before the “extraordinary rendition.”
He went on to say that despite being detained for months, the Police found no evidence against him and released him.
He claimed that after being released from SFU custody, the NIS refused to return his passport.
He claims that his extraordinary rendition/arrest, detention, and confiscation of his passport were all illegal.
Nwaokpara requested nine reliefs from the court, including a declaration that his arrest in Kenya and refusal to appear before a Kenyan court for extradition were illegal.
An order sets aside the respondent’s decision to seize, confiscate and continue to seize and confiscate the applicant’s International Passport.
An injunction restraining the respondent whether by himself or officials, officers, agents, servants, privies or otherwise howsoever of the Nigeria Immigration Service from further deporting, arresting, detaining or in any other manner infringing on the fundamental rights of the applicant.