A Professor of Law and former Director General of the Nigeria Institute of Advance Legal Studies (NIALS), Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) has adduced reasons why he led a consortium of legal experts to file a $200 billion class-action suit against the Peoples Republic of China over the effects of the coronavirus pandemic effect on Nigerians.
” We believe seriously in the merit of the action and hopefully, it’s a class action that we are doing which is all encompassing. We have refused to bring the Government of Nigeria into focus because we wouldn’t want a situation where China will feel that we are either engineered or sponsored by the Federal government. There is nothing like that, we are just working on our own. If it works fine, if it doesn’t, its okay, that is how we develop our jurisprudence. It will go on record that we tried to promote international customary law as it relates to domestic municipal courts.”
Among other reliefs, the claimants are seeking “a declaration that the defendants were negligent in their handling of the Covid-19 outbreak and breached their duty of care owed to the Claimants and other members of the class thereof, resulting in untold hardship, death, loss of livelihood and disruption of socio-economic activities.
“A declaration that the defendants handling of the Covid-19 outbreak violated the Claimants’ humanitarian rights guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, resulting in social exclusion, loss of human dignity psychological trauma and social deprivations.
“A declaration that the Defendants’ actions in wilfully allowing the escape and spread of coronavirus (Covid 19) constituted nuisance and interfered with the Claimants right to enjoy comfort and convenience and has endangered the lives, and health of the public in general.
“A declaration that the Defendants on account of its polluting activities are liable to be held responsible for the outbreak of Covid-19 under trans-boundary environmental law.
An award of the sum of US$200, 000, 000, 000 (Two hundred billion United States U.S. Dollars only or its naira equivalent) as General damages for the Defendants acts of negligence, nuisance, breach of environmental and humanitarian rights which occasioned on the Claimants and other members of the class, illness, death, loss of employment and significant economic damages.