Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Anambra State Government has denied ever creating or giving any authorisation to the activities of the Special Anti-Touting Squad (SASA) in Anambra State.
It dissociated itself from the SASA, describing it as a nonexisting agency of the State Government.
The denial was contained in a counter affidavit deposited in the Federal High Court, Awka Judicial Division, by a litigation officer in the State Ministry of Justice, Mr Obumneme Obiekie, on behalf of the Anambra State Government and the Honourable Attorney General of the State, who are the 1st and 2nd respondents respectively in an ongoing case before the said Court.
In a suit number: FHC/AWK/CS/103/2024), filed by Mr Wilfred Ikechukwu Ezike, popularly known as Mgbiligba, the Applicant, demanded a N500 million against the State Government for actions and treatments meted out to him by SASA in a tragic incident that occurred in May 9, and May 10th 2024, the video of which also went viral on the social media.
In the counter affidavit, the Anambra State Government also denied employing or authorising activities of the State Director of SASA, Hon. Solomon Chukwuebuka Onwuemene who is the 3rd respondent in the case); the Admin Officer of SASA (Mr Fred Nweke, who is the 4th respondent in the case); and the Officer in Charge of Torture in SASA (Mr Kenechukwu Okolie, who is the 5th respondent in the case).
Anambra State Government challenged the applicant to provide proof that the above-mentioned staff of SASA were employed by the State Government.
The counter affidavit read in parts: “That Paragraphs 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the applicant’s affidavit are false. In response to paragraph 3, the 1st and 2nd respondents state that the 3rd to 5th respondents are not employees, agents or contractors of the 1st and 2nd respondents.
“In response to paragraph 4 of the applicant’s affidavit, the 1st and 2nd respondents state that state organs/entities in Anambra State are created by law, executive orders or other contracts duly executed by the State Government.
“The applicant is challenged to provide any law, executive order, official gazette or any other contract duly executed by the Anambra State Government creating and/or constituting the alleged Special Anti-Touting Squad.
“In response to paragraph 6, the 1st and 2nd respondents, stated that they are not responsible for the activities of the 3rd to 5th respondents or the alleged Special Anti-Touting Squad complained of in this suit.
“The applicant is challenged to produce evidence that either the Special Anti-Touting Squad or the 3rd to 5th respondents are employed directly or indirectly by the Anambra State Civil Service Commission, or that they receive their salaries out of the consolidated fund of the state.”
It said: “In further response to paragraph 5 of the applicant’s affidavit, the 1st and 2nd respondents state that they have no hand in the travails of the applicant described in this suit. The 3rd to 5th respondents never acted on the instructions of or on behalf of the 1st and 2nd respondents in allegedly arresting, detaining, torturing or extorting the applicant.
“The applicant is hereby challenged to produce evidence at the trial that the 3rd to 5th respondents acted on the instructions of the 1st and 2nd respondents in the circumstances complained of in this suit.
“That the 1st and 2nd respondents are not in any position to deny or admit paragraphs 7. 8. 9 and 10 of the applicant’s affidavit as the 1 and 2 respondents were never part of the transactions alleged in the said paragraphs.”
It further stated that the Anambra State Government led by Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo never had any arrangement with Hon. Chief Hipolite Ekwegbara, Deways Global Resources Nigeria Ltd., or any other private person or company to sell revenue emblems to tricycle operators in Anambra State; and challenged the applicant to prove otherwise by cogent evidence.
It also added that the State Government never had any arrangement with the applicant to sell any such retail franchise to him either directly or through any other person; and that the applicant never paid any money to the Anambra State Government for any such arrangement either directly or through any other person authorised by the state government.
