Federal High Court Orders Immediate Release of Marine Engineer Detained by Lagos Police

Matilda Omonaiye/

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the immediate release of Nigerian Marine Engineer, Godswill Gold Gageche, who has been detained by the Lagos State Police Special Squad in Ikeja.

The court, presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko, directed the Commander and Commissioner of Police of the Lagos State Special Squad to admit Engineer Gageche to bail or release him outright, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The ruling follows a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Lagos-based lawyer Barrister Nelson Otaji on behalf of Engineer Gageche.

The court also instructed that the order for Gageche’s release, along with all related legal processes, be served immediately on the respondents, including the Inspector General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.

The case arose from a petition allegedly written by Quest Shipping Limited, accusing Gageche of vandalizing the vessel “Mt. Alexander J.” The petition led to Gageche’s arrest at his residence in Akute, Ogun State, on July 12, 2024.

According to an affidavit sworn by Gageche’s wife, Patience Abasido Gageche, her husband was detained without due process, mistreated, and denied contact with his family.

Engineer Gageche is seeking several remedies from the court, including a public apology in three national newspapers, an injunction preventing further unlawful detention, and an order compelling the police to admit him to bail. The case has been adjourned to August 16, 2024, for a compliance report on the release order.