Home Raid: Igboho Takes DSS to Supreme Court Over N20bn Damages

Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has appealed to the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision nullifying the N20 billion damages earlier awarded to him against the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

Igboho had initially sued the AGF, DSS, and the DSS Director in Oyo State, seeking N5.5 billion in damages over the July 2021 raid on his Ibadan residence, during which two people were reportedly killed and 12 others arrested.

In September 2021, an Oyo State High Court ruled in his favor, awarding him N20 billion in damages against the DSS and AGF. However, in August 2022, the Court of Appeal in Ibadan overturned the ruling.

Presiding over the case, Justice Muslim Hassan held that the lower court misapplied legal principles in awarding the damages. He ruled that the trial judge lacked concrete evidence to quantify the losses and stated that the case did not qualify as a human rights enforcement matter due to national security concerns. He also noted that no autopsy reports were submitted to confirm the alleged killings.

Igboho Challenges Ruling at Supreme Court

Dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s judgment, Igboho, through his lawyer Yomi Aliyu (SAN), filed an appeal at the Supreme Court on March 11, 2025.

In his appeal, Igboho argues that the appellate court erred in its judgment and urges the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.

He maintains that:

It was not his responsibility to produce autopsy reports for those allegedly killed, as the DSS did not deny the deaths in court.
The Court of Appeal was wrong to dismiss special damages over the lack of a valuation report, despite affidavit evidence and expert invoices detailing his losses.
The aggravated and exemplary damages awarded by the trial judge were legally sound.
The DSS and AGF filed their response at the Court of Appeal outside the stipulated timeframe, raising questions about the validity of their submissions.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on the appeal could set a significant legal precedent regarding government accountability and self-determination rights in Nigeria.