Falana files N200m lawsuit against Ogun monarch over viral assault incident

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has initiated a N200 million legal action against Oba Semiu Ogunjobi, the Olorile of Orile Ifo in Ogun State, following the alleged assault of  Areola Abraham Love.

The lawsuit, filed on March 7, 2025, at the Ogun State High Court in Ota, seeks to protect the 73-year-old victim’s rights to dignity, freedom of movement, and life. Falana is also demanding that the monarch issue a public apology in The Punch, Vanguard, and Nigerian Tribune newspapers.

The case stems from a widely circulated video in February, showing Elder Love kneeling on the roadside while being assaulted by Oba Ogunjobi and others. The footage triggered public outrage, leading to the monarch’s six-month suspension by the state government and his subsequent arraignment on assault charges.

In the suit, Falana contended that the attack on Elder Love, which occurred on January 21, 2025, constituted a violation of his fundamental human rights, as guaranteed by both the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

According to the originating motion, filed on behalf of the victim and reviewed by our correspondent, Falana urged the court to declare that “the systematic beatings, kicking and striking of the applicant (Elder Love) by the respondent (Oba Ogunjobi) and his agents before a crowd of people at Orile Ifo, Ifo, Ogun State on January 21, 2025 constitute a threat to the life of the applicant and thereby violated his fundamental right to life guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

Falana further argued that “the slapping and punching of the head of the Applicant by the Respondent and his agents before a crowd of people at Orile Ifo, Ifo, Ogun State on January 21, 2025, constitute a cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and thereby violated the fundamental right of the Applicant to the dignity of his person guaranteed by Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

The prominent rights lawyer is seeking a court order mandating the monarch to pay N200 million in damages for violating Elder Love’s rights, along with an order directing the publication of an apology in the three national newspapers.