By Brave Dickson
Two courts in Rivers State have fixed judgments in FOI suits brought by a Port Harcourt-based journalist, Mark Lenu against the University of Port Harcourt(UNIPORT), the Rivers State University(RSU) and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital(UPTH) respectively.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Barr Kingdom Chukwuezie told our correspondent that Justice K.J Omotosho of a federal high court had fixed March 19 and April 1 for judgements in the suits against UPTH and UNIPORT.
While Justice Augusta Chukwu of a state high court reserved March 26 for judgement in the suit against the Rivers State University.
The plaintiff said the defendants had in 2019 denied him access to certain information he formally requested through the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
Following the denial, the plaintiff dragged the institutions to court in sought of the following reliefs:
“A declaration that the plaintiff is entitled to receive the information he applied for from the defendants (public institutions).
“A declaration that the failure and or refusal of the defendants to give written notice to the plaintiff stating the reason for the denial of the information sought and requested by Exhibit ‘A’ is wrongful, unlawful and constitute a gross violation of section 4 (b) of the FOI Act, 2011.
“An order of these Honourable courts on the defendants to make available to the plaintiff a hard copy of the information requested per Exhibit ‘A’ within seven days of the judgment of the courts.
“And the sum of one million naira only as exemplary and aggravated damages for the unlawful violation of the plaintiff’s right of access to information established and guaranteed by section 1 (1) and 4 of the FOI Act, 2011,” among others.”
