A fashion designer, Hadiza Usman, on Wednesday, dragged the Director-General (D-G) of the Department of State Services (DSS) and his wife, Mrs Y.B. Magaji and the DSS, FCT Director before the FCT High Court Apo, over alleged threat to life.
The enforcement of fundamental rights motion was brought before Justice Sylvanus Oriji, by Usman, pursuant to Order 4 Rule 7, Order 5 Rule 7 and Order 11 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedures) Rules,2009 and Section 33 of the Constitution if the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
The motion prayed the court to make an interim order restraining the respondents by themselves, agents, employees, operatives, detectives from further threatening the life of the applicant or putting her life in jeopardy either by their actions or inaction, pending the determination of the application.
The applicant further sought the leave of the court for the originating processes and all processes to be served on the second to fourth respondents by substituted means.
Usman, in her grounds for the action, informed the court that the respondents on May 5 forcefully gained entrance into her premises at No 36, Gnassingbe Eyadema Street, Asokoro, Abuja and tortured, maltreated and threatened her life and those of other members of her family.
She claimed that the respondents through their officers are continually menacingly moving around her premises, adding that she and her family are constantly living in fear as they keep seeing strange movement of some Hilux vans belonging to the respondents with masked men driving around the premises.
The applicant told the court that her life was in grave jeopardy and except the court made an order restraining the respondents from taking any steps, the worst might happen.
Usman claimed that she had been making clothes for Mrs Magaji without any problems.
”I made more than 30 pieces and she later brought 12 pieces of fabrics for sewing on February 22.
”I delivered some of the clothes on April 9, while the rest were delivered the following day.
”She opened the clothes I returned one by one that day to confirm whether they were complete. A week later, she called me to tell me that three of her head scarves were missing.
”She called me a thief, threatening that she was going to deal with me if the scarves were not provided,” he alleged.
In the evening of same day, Usman claimed that Magaji’s Personal Assistant by the name Vesta came to her house and informed that Madam was outside and requested to be allowed in.
She further claimed that masked DSS operatives forcefully gained entrance into her house, did not only beat security men at the gate and her family members but also inflicted injuries on her and members of her family.
The operatives, Usman further told the court, fired several gunshots into the compound, adding that she was taken to the Asokoro General Hospital as a result of the injuries she sustained from “the beating, inhuman and degrading treatment meted out on me by the respondents using their operatives”.
Meanwhile, after listening to the exparte motion as argued by Nkem Okoro from the chambers of Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Justice Oriji refused to grant the restraining order sought by the applicant and order that the respondents be put on notice.
The judge, however, granted the applicant the leave to serve the respondents through substituted means.
He then fixed July 2 to hear the application.
