The Court is mindful of the fact that an arrest and detention premised on
lawful grounds cannot be seen as a violation of the guaranteed right to
liberty. See BARTHELEMY DIAS V. REPUBLIC OF SENEGAL (2012)
ECW/CCJ/JUG/05/12 and ALHAJI HAMANI TIDJANI V. FEDERAL
REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND 4 ORS. (2007) ECW/CCJ/JUD/04/07.
In determining the legality of the alleged arrest and detention the Court will
consider whether or not the alleged unlawful and violent procession
resulted in the disruption of public peace as the Respondent would want
this Honorable Court to believe. Whether the Respondent has shown any
credible evidence documentary or oral before the Court to establish the
Applicants unruly behavior and subsequent failure to comply with dispersal
orders which has resulted to breach of Public Oder, threat to Public safety
as the Respondent averred in his defense.
It is trite law that the burden of proof rests on the person making the
allegation to ascertain the truth of his assertion. Such a person can
succeed or fail on the strength of his evidence. In the case of FEMI
FALANA & ANOR V. REPUBLIC OF BENIN & 2 ORS (2012)
ECW/CCJ/JUD/02/12, this Court held that “as always, that the onus of
proof is on a party who asserts a fact and who will fail if that fact fails to
attain that standard of proof that will persuade the court to believe the
statement of the claim”. Also, in SIKIRU ALADE V. FEDERAL REPUBLIC
OF NIGERIA (2012) ECW/CCJ/JUD/10/12 the Court found that every
material allegation of claim must be justified with credible evidence and the
defense should also sufficiently satisfy every defense and put forward what
will rebut the claim or take the risk of putting nothing at all if the claim by
their estimation is weak and unproven. In the instance case, it is the
expectation of the Court that the Respondent would have tendered hospital
report of treatment of agents of the Respondent as a result of injuries
sustained from the missiles alleged to have been thrown by the Applicants
and even pictures of destructions alleged to have been done by the unruly
behavior of the Applicants.
The Court notes that Article 11 of the African Charter provides that:
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