Judgment is expected on Friday in a Federal High Court suit filed by 83 Nigerians of Igbo extraction over the enforcement of their fundamental human rights. They allege that they were forcefully deported from Lagos by the state government to Onitsha in Anambra state.
The applicants are seeking a declaration of the court that their arrest, remand and alleged forceful transportation from Lagos to Onitsha on the grounds that they were non-indegenes of Lagos and against their consent, was a violation of their fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement and freedom from discrimination.
They want the court to award a damages of N2bn against the Lagos state government in their own favour.
They are also asking the court to compel the Lagos state government to tender an apology that will be published in at least 3 widely read daily newspaper.
Lagos state government in its own argument submitted that the deportation was not done out of malice but with the genuine intention of re-uniting them with their families.
Lagos state averred that the applicants were only assisted to re-join their families after pleading that they had no homes, relatives or business in the state.
