An Anglican clergyman, Reverend Tochukwu Agina, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Nigerian Navy at the Anambra State High Court in Onitsha, seeking ₦500 million in damages for alleged violations of his fundamental human rights.
In the suit, Rev. Agina claims that his rights to human dignity, personal liberty, and freedom of movement, as protected under Sections 34(1) and 35(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), were unlawfully infringed.
The respondents in the case include the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Navy Board, the Chief of Naval Staff, Commander Kabiru Yusuf of the Onitsha/Ogbaru Naval Base, the officer in charge of the Okpotouno Naval Checkpoint in Ogbaru, and other unnamed naval officers reportedly involved in the incident.
The action was filed via a Motion Ex Parte under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, Sections 34, 35, 36, and 46 of the Constitution, as well as the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
The case, filed under No. O/MSC/572/2025, is being handled by a legal team led by Sir Ejike Ezenwa, SAN, along with Sir Ben Uzuegbu, SAN; Sir Ben Osaka, SAN; Ikem Taylor Nwanegbo; Chijioke Nwankwo; Emeka Mebo; H.C. Udechukwu; E. Ibegbu; and C.T. Bemesi.
Rev. Agina is requesting the court to declare that his arrest and detention by naval officers at a naval base on November 30, 2025, were unlawful, illegal, and unconstitutional. He is also seeking a declaration that the alleged harassment, humiliation, and mistreatment he experienced at the Okpotouno Naval Checkpoint in Ogbaru amounted to an improper exercise of authority and violated his constitutional rights.
According to the clergyman, he was accused of answering phone calls at the checkpoint, forced to alight from a commercial vehicle, and subsequently detained at the naval base, actions he claims infringed on his rights to personal liberty, dignity, and freedom of movement.
Among the remedies sought is an order directing the respondents to issue an unreserved apology to him and publish it in a national newspaper of his choice, in addition to any other relief the court deems appropriate.
When the matter was heard on Tuesday, December 16, Justice David Onyefulu, presiding over High Court No. 3, ordered that the respondents be served with all court documents through publication in a national newspaper.
The court has adjourned the case to Thursday, January 22, for further hearing.
