An American nurse, Kari-Ann R’ouke has slammed a lawsuit against the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, and the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Adegoke Fayoade over her ‘unlawful and indefinite’ detention.
Kari-Ann who filed a petition to the federal high court in Lagos through her counsel Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, said she was arrested on February 9 and has been detained indefinitely over the death of her Nigerian partner.
According to her,she has been detained for more than one month over a murder case without being charged to court for the said crime.
She also revealed that she met her partner online and came to Nigeria on January 21, 2021 with the aim of establishing a humanitarian outfit.
Her court affidavit partly read;
“Upon completing her assignment in Nigeria, she departed for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport on February 8, 2021, en-route America.
“She was, however, stopped by the Immigration Department on the ground that her COVID -19 Test result had expired, whereupon she was made to sleep at the airport purportedly for a new COVID -19 test.
“It was later the following day that she was informed that she was being arrested because her friend had passed on, unknown to her. She has been in police custody ever since.”
According to the petitioner’s counsel, Mr Adegboruwa, a CCTV footage of the hotel the duo lodged in, showed clearly that “Kari Ann left her friend in the hotel room in good health in the company of his friends and relatives, all of whom were initially arrested but have now been released.”
He added that an autopsy report showed that the deceased died of cardiac arrest, without any foul play.
“Kari Ann has been a subject of extortion ever since, even though no prima facie case has been established against her. Since her incarceration, Kari Ann has lost about 23 pounds in weight, she has emaciated tremendously, she has suffered bouts of malaria, dysentery and she is going through extreme emotional and mental stress, without any link to her family or relatives” the SAN stated.
Kari-Ann is seeking her release from police custody and a compensation of N100 million as “general, aggravated, special and exceptional damages from the police”.
She also seeks an order directing her free movement in any part of Nigeria, without let or hindrance from the police.
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