Saraki, Melaye, Ben Bruce drag IGP Idris to court, demand N500m

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Ben Murray-Bruce have dragged the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to court.

The move was over their invitation by the Nigeria Police.

The lawmakers were among the three leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party who led a protest march to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday to protest against the outcome of the Osun State governorship election.

The police had invited only Melaye and Murray-Bruce to appear before the Federal Capital Territory Command over alleged assaults on its men and destruction of its property.

The lawmakers, however, failed to answer the invitation. Instead, they are praying the court to, among others, direct the defendants to “jointly and severally pay the applicants the sum of N500m only, same being the pecuniary and exemplary damages arising from the humiliation, intimidation, harassment and unlawful attempt to arrest the applicants by the agents of the second respondent (Commissioner of Police).”

Court papers obtained by our correspondent on Monday showed that the suit, with Number FHC/ABJ/03/095/2018, was filed by Mahmud Abubakar Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on behalf of the lawmakers.