Court awards N100m against police over killing of 22-year-old young man in Delta

​A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, on Thursday, July 9, awarded N100 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force and other respondents over the unfortunate killing of 22-year-old Onyekachi Mba in Delta Government House.

DAILY POST reports that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu delivered the judgment in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the deceased’s mother, Mrs Victoria Mba, through her lawyer, Chief Roland Ndubuka.

The suit, instituted on October 10, 2025, sought the enforcement of Mba’s fundamental rights under Sections 35, 36, 37, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), including his rights to personal liberty, dignity of the human person, and freedom of movement.

Mrs Mba had asked the court to determine whether the torture, inhuman treatment, and eventual killing of her son amounted to a violation of his constitutional rights and requested appropriate compensation.

In her ruling, Justice Ojukwu held that the assault, torture, and fatal shooting of Mba by a police officer attached to the residence of Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, on August 1, 2025, were unlawful and amounted to a gross violation of his fundamental rights.

The judge described the conduct of the officers as an abuse of power and an act of executive recklessness.

The court subsequently awarded N100 million in damages against the respondents, ordering that the compensation could be paid either jointly or individually.

The Nigeria Police Force, one ASP Victor Edet, the Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, the Police Service Commission, and SP Emmanuel Dickson, Chief Security Officer at the Cross River State Government House were among those listed as respondents in the suit.

It was gathered that Mba was allegedly beaten and shot by police personnel attached to the Government House on August 1, 2025.

He later died at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital in Calabar from injuries sustained during the incident.

Court awards N100m against police over killing of 22-year-old young man in Delta