Justice at Last: Court orders senator to pay N100k as damages for slapping newspaper vendor.

A High Court in Uyo has ordered a former
senator from Akwa Ibom State, Anietie Okon,
to pay N100,000 as damages to a newspaper
vendor, Ndifreke Etim, whom he assaulted last
year in Uyo, PremiumTimes reports.
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Mr. Etim, who walks around the city of Uyo,
hawking newspapers, had told the court that
Mr. Okon slapped him multiple times inside
Government House, Uyo, in September last
year.
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The assault occurred around the state banquet
hall where the vendor had gone with the hope
of making quick sales during the swearing-in
of a new chairman of Akwa Ibom State Council
of Traditional Rulers.
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Mr. Etim claimed that three able-bodied men,
who may have been Mr. Okon’s bodyguards,
stood by to watch as the former senator kept
slapping him. “When he finished slapping me,
he accused me of stealing his wallet. .
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But God knows I am not a thief, I sell
newspapers to take care of myself and my
family. He didn’t even search me to see if I
had his wallet on me or not," Etim said.
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The victim, backed by the Newspaper
Distributors Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom
State chapter, filed a civil suit against the
former senator.
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The court, presided over by Justice Winifred
Effiong, held that the action of the former
senator was degrading, and that it was against
Mr. Etim’s right to the dignity of his person.
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The court, besides granting an order that Mr.
Okon should pay N100,000 as damages to
Mr. Etim, also ordered the former senator to
pay additional N50, 000 as cost of the
litigation to Mr. Etim.
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“I am glad that the court has been bold
enough to tell the senator that what he did
against me was wrong. It’s not about the
money," Etim said.