Justice Or Injustice? Sunday Igboho Drags AGF, DSS To Supreme Court Over Massive ₦20 Billion Award

Sunday Igboho Takes ₦20 Billion Legal Battle to Supreme Court, Challenges Appeal Court Ruling....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Yoruba Nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court in Abuja, contesting the Court of Appeal’s decision to nullify the ₦20 billion in exemplary and aggravated damages initially awarded to him against the Federal Government.

The case stems from the July 1, 2021, raid on Igboho’s Ibadan residence by the Department of State Services (DSS), an operation that led to the deaths of two individuals and extensive property damage. Following the raid, Igboho sued the DSS and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) at the Oyo State High Court, citing fundamental human rights violations. In September 2021, Justice Ladiran Akintola ruled in his favor, awarding ₦20 billion in damages.

However, in August 2022, the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, led by Justice Muslim Hassan, overturned the verdict, labeling the ruling illegal and the compensation excessive. In response, Igboho, through his counsel, Yomi Alliu (SAN), filed an appeal with the Supreme Court under case number SC/CV/1436/22, dated March 10, 2025. The appeal is based on 19 grounds, condensed into 11 key legal issues for determination.

The defendants in the case include the Attorney-General of the Federation, the DSS, and the DSS Director in Oyo State.

According to court documents obtained by Vanguard on Wednesday, Igboho’s appeal seeks clarification on whether his fundamental rights were violated, arguing that his case should be treated as a fundamental rights enforcement proceeding rather than a tort case, as the lower court ruled.

Additionally, Igboho challenges the appellate court’s dismissal of his preliminary objections, arguing that they were valid despite being included in his legal brief. The appeal also questions whether the respondents’ brief, filed after the stipulated deadline, should be deemed valid and if his own subsequent filing inadvertently waived this lateness.

He further contests whether an application to file additional records can remedy the initial failure to submit original documents on time. Lastly, Igboho argues that the lower court erred in dismissing his claims for special damages due to the absence of a valuation report, insisting that unchallenged affidavit evidence and expert invoices sufficiently prove his losses.