"Remove handcuff from hspitalized suspect" court orders Army chief

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, has ordered that his earlier directives that the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, and the Commander, 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin, must remove the handcuffs on a Belgium-based Nigerian, Mr. Daniel Owie, who is

currently receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, from gunshot injuries, must be obeyed.

Mr. Owie, through his counsel, Benjy Iloube, had dragged the Chief of Army Staff and others to court, seeking to enforce his fundamental rights following his continued handcuff to his sick bed by the respondents.

Trial judge, Justice Muhammad Lima, had also ordered that the applicant must be produced in court yesterday, when the matter came up for hearing but was not done.

It will  be recalled that Mr. Owie was shot on the order of a yet to be identified Army Captain, who alleged that the applicant was an armed robber and had wanted to snatch his car along Ihama Road in Benin.

The Army Captain was said to have taken the applicant to UBTH, for treatment and had handcuffed the suspect to his hospital bed with military men guarding him since then.

Justice Liman who reaffirmed the order of the court, told counsel to the defendants, Mr. Samuel Birisibe when the case came up for hearing that the order must be obeyed as the matter before him was a weighty one and directed the counsel to tell the respondents the implication of disobeying an order of the court.