From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Commandant of the Nigerian Peace Corps (NPC), Dickson Akor, has appealed to the Inspector-General Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to unseal the national headquarters of the organisation in line with the judgment of the court.
Justice Gabriel Kolawale of Abuja Federal High Court, last week, ordered the IGP to pay N12. 5 million to Peace Corps officials, who were unjustly and unlawfully detained by the police. The court also ordered the police to unseal the national headquarters of the Corps located in Jabi, Abuja, which came under police lock and key on February 28.
Visibly excited Akor told journalists in Abuja at the weekend that God and the court had vindicated them once again with the recent judgment, but was unhappy that police presence was still conspicuous in the building days after the court judgment.
He was optimistic that the IGP would direct his officers to vacate the building today to enable them recommence official activities from their headquarters.
He said: “The judgment was delivered on Thursday and its implementation ought to have commenced immediately. But up till the end of work on Friday, the police were yet to comply with the judgment.
“They are obviously testing our patience to know if we will revolt, so they could have another reason to condemn us. But our lawyers have advised that we exercise more patience. We have waited for several months now, what then are few days that we won’t wait?
“Whichever way it goes, we will resume in that office on Monday (today) when we must have tidied up our documents, backed with the court judgment that ordered the police out of our premises.”