THE FEDERAL High Court in Abuja on Thursday dismissed a £950 trillion lawsuit filed by businessman, Tunde Omosebi, against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and others over alleged breaches of fundamental rights.
In his ruling, Justice James Omotosho described the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/767/2024, as “highly unreasonable.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Omosebi had initiated the case on June 5, 2024, naming Hallies & Partner Ltd, Atiku Abubakar, Clifford Odibe, and Daniel Mbohok as defendants.
During proceedings, Omosebi expanded the suit to include 13 defendants without court approval, a procedural irregularity that Justice Omotosho noted in his judgment.
The court held that the suit lacked a reasonable cause of action and dismissed it accordingly.
Omosebi, who described himself in court documents as a “businessman, politician, Chairman of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), and Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” had alleged that agents of Hallies & Partner Ltd assaulted and intimidated him at his office on July 6, 2023.
He sought £950 trillion in damages for alleged violations of his dignity, criminal intimidation, and trauma, invoking the Fundamental Rights Rule 2009.
Additionally, Omosebi requested a public apology from the defendants across national and international media, a permanent 20-kilometer restriction from his properties, and £95 trillion in exemplary damages.
Justice Omotosho emphasized the court’s duty to conserve judicial resources by dismissing frivolous claims.
He also advised Omosebi to await judgment in a separate £990 trillion suit he filed against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and several commercial banks.
The judge expressed concern over the increasing number of similar cases and urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to address the issue, stating, “We can’t continue this way because the temple of justice is not open for everything.”
A ruling on the preliminary objection in Omosebi’s case against the CBN governor is scheduled for June 4. (NAN)
