The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, yesterday, set aside the judgment of an Oyo State High Court, which awarded N20 billion damages to Yoruba self-determination freedom fighter, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
The court also set aside the judgment that declared the attack on Igboho’s house illegal, describing the award for damages against the DSS as outrageous.
Delivering the judgment in the appeal filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Department of State Services (DSS) and Oyo State Director of DSS against the judgment of the Oyo State High Court, Justice Muslim Hassan held that Justice Ladiran Akintola, who delivered the judgment on September 17, 2021, acted on the wrong principles of law in awarding the cost to Igboho.
Justice Hassan said that the state high court ignored the grounds for the case in acquiring jurisdiction and that Justice Akintola should not have decided on the award of damages based on his own preferences.
He said that the judge could not assess damages claimed by Igboho using his own conceived parameters.
He also held that the Oyo High Court ignored the merit of the case while assuming jurisdiction on the matter.
Justice Hassan thereby set aside the earlier judgment, which declared the attack on the house of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, illegal.
