Donald Ekete, the Managing Director of Eketeson Resources Nigeria Ltd, has secured an Ex-parte court order preventing the Inspector General of Police and the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Enugu Annex from arresting him. This order comes in the wake of allegations that Ekete directed police officers to severely beat a rival truck driver, Okechukwu Ofor, who was left in a coma.
According to reports from SaharaReporters on October 1, Ofor, who was employed by the estate company Toshel Nigeria Ltd, has initiated legal action against both Ekete and the involved policemen, seeking over N600 million in compensation for aggravated, exemplary, and general damages.
The incident allegedly took place on June 3, when three policemen associated with Eketeson Resources, a construction firm responsible for road rehabilitation in Enugu State, assaulted Ofor. After the brutal attack, the officers reportedly dropped Ofor at the Independence Layout Police Station, believing he would not survive.
In the legal proceedings, Ofor has named several parties as respondents, including the Commissioner of Police at the CID Annex, Enugu, Mr. Tochukwu Nzekwe, and other police officials.
Ekete’s motion for the Ex-parte order was based on various legal provisions, including Order II Rule 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, and sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The application included a detailed affidavit consisting of 28 paragraphs, along with supporting exhibits A, B, C, and D, sworn by Ekete himself. This document was filed at the High Court Registry in Enugu on October 9, 2024.
The court’s order includes an interim injunction, which prohibits the respondents, their agents, or representatives from arresting or detaining Ekete, thus safeguarding his fundamental rights until the case is fully resolved. Additionally, the court has directed all parties to maintain the current status quo until the hearing, which is scheduled for October 24, 2024.
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