50 civil servants sue ex-gov Aliyu, demand N100m

No fewer than 50 civil servants in Niger State on Wednesday dragged the former State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, before a Minna High Court, demanding N100m for the unlawful seizure and sale of their motorcycles.

The civil servants argued that  the seizure of their motorcycles amounted to a violation of their fundamental human rights.

The applicants, in a suit filed at High Court 4, filed on May 25, by their counsel, Mr. Adegoke Omoloja of Cosmic Chambers, Abuja, prayed the court for a declaration that the seizure and the subsequent sale of the applicants motorcycles by the former governor through his Commissioner of Works, was illegal, null and void and constituted a violation of their fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution.

The applicants also prayed the court for an order awarding compensation of one N1m in favour of each applicant against the respondents and another N50m as general damages.

In a 60-paragraph affidavit in support of the case deposed to by one Ndagi Mohammed, the applicants said the arrest, seizure and sale of their motorcycles had brought untold hardship and difficulties to their families especially in getting to places of work, taking children to school and taking their wives to places of work or for maternity checks.

“That some of us bought the motorcycle through cooperatives (as can be seen on purchase receipts attached) on loan which they still deduct from our salaries monthly,” he said.

He stated that the then governor acted as prosecutor, judge, jury and auctioneer, which was a direct violation of “our right to fair hearing,” adding that “our freedom to movement and right to liberty has been violated by the restriction placed on motorcycles by the first respondent, Muazu Babangida Aliyu.”

The case has been fixed for June 29 for hearing.