Court quashes DSS appeal against pipeline surveillance contractor, upholds N20m damages
The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has dismissed an appeal filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) against a judgment in favor of Mr. Richard Abbey, a pipeline surveillance contractor with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Bonny Local Government Area.
In suit number CA/PH/38/23 between the DSS and others versus Abbey, the presiding judge, Justice D. Z. Senchi, upheld the N20 million damages awarded against the DSS for wrongfully arresting and detaining Abbey by the Federal High Court.
Abbey’s residence in Port Harcourt was raided without a warrant by security personnel, including DSS officials, on July 16, 2022, resulting in damage to his property. Following this, Abbey filed a petition for the enforcement of his fundamental rights. His lawyer, Ajayi Olusegun, of A. A. Olusegun and Associates, secured a victory at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which ruled in Abbey’s favor in December 2022 and awarded N20 million in damages against the DSS.
After the court’s decision, Olusegun praised the judgment as a victory for justice and a deterrent against illegal arrests and detentions by security agencies. “On the day our client’s residence was unlawfully entered, he was apprehended, handcuffed, and taken into DSS custody for 24 days. Neither his family nor his legal representative were granted access to him during his detention,” Olusegun said.
Abbey, upon his release, linked his arrest to his involvement in an operation against illegal oil activities in Bonny kingdom on November 21, 2021. He suggested that his opposition to a group profiting from environmental degradation in the Niger Delta might have triggered his ordeal.
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Abbey, the CEO of Ricardo Security Services Ltd, highlighted that his company had received security clearance from the DSS Headquarters in Abuja. He emphasized his ongoing efforts to combat illegal bunkering activities and noted the potential repercussions of his stance against environmental exploitation in the region.
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