Court Awards ₦100m Damages Against Police Over Killing of 22-Year-Old in Calabar

A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar has awarded ₦100 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force and other respondents over the torture and killing of 22-year-old Onyekachi Mba by security personnel attached to the Cross River State Government House.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu delivered the judgment on Thursday in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the deceased's mother, Victoria Mba, through her counsel, Roland Ndubuka.

The court held that the assault, torture and fatal shooting of Mba on August 1, 2025, constituted a clear violation of his constitutionally guaranteed rights.

According to the facts presented before the court, Mba was beaten and shot by police personnel stationed at the Government House in Calabar after insisting on seeing Governor Bassey Otu to deliver what he described as a message from God.

He was subsequently rushed to the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital in Calabar, where he later died from injuries sustained during the attack.

The suit, filed on October 10, 2025, sought the enforcement of Mba's fundamental rights as guaranteed under Sections 35, 36, 37 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution, including his rights to personal liberty, dignity of the human person and freedom of movement.

The applicant asked the court to determine whether the actions of the police officers amounted to unlawful torture, inhuman treatment and a violation of the deceased's constitutional rights, and to award appropriate compensation.

In her judgment, Justice Ojukwu ruled that the conduct of the officers was unlawful, unjustifiable and amounted to a flagrant breach of Mba's fundamental rights.

The judge described the actions of the officers as "an abuse of power and executive recklessness."

Consequently, the court awarded ₦100 million in damages against the respondents, ordering that the compensation may be paid jointly or severally.

The respondents in the suit include the Nigeria Police Force, Assistant Superintendent of Police Victor Edet, the Police Service Commission, the Commissioner of Police in Cross River State and Superintendent of Police Emmanuel Dickson, the Chief Security Officer attached to the Cross River State Government House.

The judgment marks another judicial condemnation of extrajudicial actions by security personnel and reinforces the constitutional obligation of law enforcement agencies to respect and protect the fundamental rights of all citizens.