Yoruba Nation agitator Chief Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision that nullified the N20 billion damages awarded to him against the Department of State Services and the Attorney General of the Federation.
Igboho initially sued the AGF, the DSS, and the DSS Director in Oyo State, seeking N5.5 billion in damages for the July 2021 raid on his Ibadan home, during which two individuals were allegedly killed and 12 others imprisoned.
In September 2021, an Oyo State High Court found in his favour, awarded N20 billion in damages against the AGF and the DSS, holding them responsible for the invasion.
However, in August 2022, Ibadan’s Court of Appeal overruled the decision.
Presiding judge Justice Muslim Hassan held that the lower court misapplied legal principles in awarding damages, claiming that the trial judge lacked precise evidence to estimate the losses experienced at Igboho’s home.
He concluded that the case did not qualify as a human rights enforcement matter owing to national security reasons and that no autopsy findings were presented to prove the claimed fatalities during the operation.
However, dissatisfied with the appellate court decision, Ighoho, through his lawyer, Yomi Aliyu (SAN), filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on March 11, 2025.
He maintained that the Court of Appeal erred in its decision and petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn it.
Igboho further claims that it was not his responsibility to provide autopsy findings for those allegedly killed because the DSS did not refute the deaths in court.
He further criticised the Appeal Court for refusing special damages owing to a lack of a valuation study, despite documentary evidence and expert bills outlining the losses.
He contended that the trial judge’s aggravated and exemplary damages were neither unreasonable nor inconsistent with legal principles.
Furthermore, he claimed that the DSS and AGF’s answer to the Court of Appeal was filed beyond the deadline, casting doubt on the legality of their representations.
The Supreme Court is now poised to rule on the appeal, which might set a legal precedent in Nigeria regarding government accountability and self-determination rights.
