A police officer,
Funke Jimoh, has sued the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service
Commission in a Federal High Court in Abuja, for allegedly violating
her right to medical attention. According to an affidavit submitted by
Ms. Jimoh in court, she was participating in a mandatory police cross
country race training exercise at the Eleyele Police Training School in
Ibadan, Oyo state, in July 2000, when she suffered a hip injury. Her
femoral head, which is the highest part of the bone between the hip and
the knee joint, was damaged. She received treatment at a police clinic
at the time. In February 2011, Ms. Jimoh claims that the injury flared
up again, and she was referred from the clinic to University College
Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, which advised her to seek medical treatment
abroad to get a femoral head replacement. She wrote a letter through
the commissioner of police, Oyo State, to the inspector-general of
police to provide financial assistance for a surgical operation in
Germany as recommended by UCH, but was surprised by the force’s
response.
“To my utter
dismay, instead of the defendants to accede to my request by providing
financial assistance for my medical treatment abroad, the defendants on
16 August, 2004 discharged me from the force on medical grounds without
any compensation whatsoever.”
The plaintiff also
claimed that the House of Representatives Committee on Public
Petitions, after an investigation, concluded in a report that she was
wrongfully discharged from the force, and the committee passed a
resolution for her reinstatement, along with the payment of her
entitlements and the provision of adequate medical attention. So far,
according to the plaintiff, the police has ignored the committee’s
resolution.
Search for reinstatement
Ms. Jimoh is
seeking a declaration from the court stating that the refusal of the
defendants to provide medical treatment for the replacement of her
femoral head, which was damaged while taking part in a police exercise,
is illegal and unconstitutional according to Article 16 of the African
Charter on Human and People’s Rights Ratification and Enforcement Act.
She is also seeking a declaration stating that the refusal of the
defendants to pay her salary and allowances from August 16, 2004 is
illegal and unconstitutional. Other requests include an order directing
the defendants to provide the plaintiff with medical treatment at the
University Teaching Hospital/Clinic in Ulm, Germany, and an order
directing the defendants to immediately effect the payment of all
arrears owed to the plaintiff. The presiding judge, Abdul Kafarati,
adjourned the matter until March 9 for hearing.
