The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has condemned the continued refusal of the Federal Government and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to comply with valid court judgments awarding compensation to Miss Glory Okolie, a victim of unlawful arrest, incommunicado detention and inhumane treatment by the police.
 
In two separate judgments, one delivered by the ECOWAS Court of Justice on November 21, 2024, and the other by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on June 23, 2022, the Federal Government of Nigeria was ordered to pay N70 million in damages to Okolie for the gross violation of her fundamental human rights.
 
The rights group also tasked the concerned authorities with tendering a public apology to Okolie for the grievous harm done to her.The Guardian gathered that Okolie, then a student, was arbitrarily arrested on June 13, 2021, by officers of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Owerri, Imo State.  She was reportedly detained for months, subjected to degrading treatment and denied legal representation.
 
Reports have it that during her detention, she was forced to carry out domestic chores for police officers, effectively treated as a maid, while her family searched for her in vain, fearing the worst.
 
According to RULAAC, both the FCT High Court and the ECOWAS Court found the actions of the police and the government unjustifiable and illegal. The former ruled that her prolonged detention without trial violated Articles 6 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and ordered the payment of N10 million in damages. The FCT High Court had awarded N60 million to the victim in punitive and general damages.
 
Other demands from the rights group include institutional reforms to ensure that no Nigerian is subjected to such abuse of power again. RULAAC reminded the government that court judgments were not advisory opinions but binding obligations.
 
It added: “A democracy cannot thrive where state institutions operate with impunity and in disregard of judicial authority. The deliberate failure to comply with these rulings signals state-sanctioned lawlessness, undermines public trust in the justice system, and emboldens rights violators within the security sector.
 
“We urge local and international human rights bodies, diplomatic missions and development partners to join in calling on the Nigerian government to respect the rule of law and ensure justice for Okolie. Her case is not an isolated one; it is symbolic of the widespread abuse, disregard for due process, and impunity that plague Nigeria’s law enforcement system.”
 
RULAAC noted that justice delayed is justice denied, while justice defied is justice destroyed.