A ₦50 billion rights case brought by former Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, against former Governor Godwin Obaseki and four others was dismissed on Monday by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suit, which was filed in July 2024, accused the defendants of violating Shaibu’s rights. Those named in the case included Obaseki, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Attorney General of Edo State.
The case took a new turn when Shaibu’s lawyer, Anita Oteh, informed the court that the matter had been settled out of court. This led the legal team to withdraw the suit, believing there was no further need to proceed.
However, the lawyer representing the Attorney General of the Federation, Aliyu Abdulkadir, said he was unaware of any settlement. Even though he didn’t oppose the withdrawal, he asked the court to dismiss the case entirely rather than allowing a simple withdrawal.
Justice Peter Lifu, who handled the matter, ruled in favour of a full dismissal. He stated that because all parties had already filed their arguments, the proper step was to dismiss the case, not just strike it out.
The ruling ends a case that sought billions in damages and had drawn public attention due to the high-profile figures involved.
Leave a Reply