A State High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State has sanctioned Hon. Uduak Odudoh, who represents Ikot Abasi and Eastern Obolo State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly asking him to pay N1.5 million in damages over illegal arrest and detention of one Promise Etete.
The judge, Edem Akpan, also directed the lawmaker, Hon. Uduak Odudoh, to publish a public apology to Promise Etete in a national and a local newspaper over his rights violation.
The man, Promise Etete, in 2021, filed a case against Mr Odudoh, asking the court to compel the lawmaker to apologise to him publicly, as well as pay him N100 million as compensation for ordering the police to arrest and detain him illegally.
The police arrested Mr Etete in 2020, detained and later charged with threat to life and defamation of character after he posted an article on Facebook against the lawmaker.
Mr Etete said in the Facebook article the lawmaker was acting as though he was representing a faction, and not the whole of his constituency.
Justice Akpan, in his judgment, described as “ill-motivated” the petition written to the police by Mr Ududoh.
The judge said the allegations of threat to life and cultism in as mentioned in the petition submitted to the Police were baseless.
The court held that the posts made by Mr Etete were fair comments and that as a citizen he has the right to complain about issues in his constituency that he is aggrieved about, and that the lawmaker has a duty to respect such criticisms.
The court further held that Mr Ududoh violated Mr Etete’s right to freedom of expression, dignity, and personal liberty.
