Rivers court dismisses rights suit over disputed identity of alleged detainee

The Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed on behalf of Gospel Kinanee, who was allegedly detained for 18 years without trial. Justice Okogbule Gbasam dismissed the case on Friday after ruling that the applicant had not established the claims of rights violations brought by the Haven360 Community Impact Initiative, also known as the Haven360 Foundation. The judge said the case contained no evidence showing when, how or by whom Kinanee was arrested.

He also said there was no proof that the applicant had been detained and later released by the Chief Judge. Justice Gbasam further pointed to discrepancies between the identity of the person said to have been arrested and that of the person released. According to the judge, the person in custody was identified as Sunday Barine, who was released by the Chief Judge in July.

Cyrus Cyrus Onu, president of the Haven360 Foundation, said the organisation would apply for a certified true copy of the judgment and study the court’s reasoning before advising the applicant. He said the foundation would decide whether to appeal after reviewing the judgment. “The court has done its job.

We will apply for the CTC of the judgment. We will review it and advise the applicant,” Onu said. Chimenem Mbadiwe, principal state counsel with the Federal Ministry of Justice, welcomed the decision.

He said the applicant had failed to prove that his fundamental rights were violated and argued that the identity discrepancies had weakened the case. Paul Kinanee, Gospel Kinanee’s brother, said the family would also study the judgment before deciding whether to appeal.