High Court Ordered Chief of Army Staff To Remove Handcuff

Belgium-based Nigerian Mr Daniel Owie is currently receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, from gunshot injuries.

The Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, insisted that the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, and the Commander, 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin must remove Mr Daniel Owie’s handcuff in hospital.

Mr Owie, through his counsel, Benjy Iloube, had dragged the Chief of Army Staff and others to court, seeking to enforce his fundamental rights following his continued handcuff to his sick bed by the respondents.

Trial judge, Justice Muhammad Lima, had also ordered that the applicant must be produced in court yesterday, when the matter came up for hearing but was not done.

It will be recalled that Mr. Owie was shot on the order of a yet to be identified Army Captain, who alleged that the applicant was an armed robber and had wanted to snatch his car along Ihama Road in Benin.

The Army Captain was said to have taken the applicant to UBTH, for treatment and had handcuffed the suspect to his hospital bed with military men guarding him since then.

Justice Liman who reaffirmed the order of the court, told counsel to the defendants, Mr. Samuel Birisibe when the case came up for hearing that the order must be obeyed as the matter before him was a weighty one and directed the counsel to tell the respondents the implication of disobeying an order of the court.