An industrialist and Chairman of Andreas Stihl AG and Co Nigeria limited, Chief Sampson Umejidike Ifediba, has approached to court for the reinstatement of his police escorts.
He dragged the Inspector General of Police, (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, Assistant Inspector General of Police, (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Lagos, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State CID, Panti, Lagos, Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Danduara, Anthony Onyia of Fegmatic Associates Limited and Ikechukwu Umeaku of Texmaco ventures of Onitsha Bridgehead market to an Onitsha High court seeking among other reliefs, an injunction to restrain the defendants from arresting, detaining him and to restore his three police escorts withdrawn by the police.
In the suit part of the reliefs sought for read in part: “a declaration that the invasion of the applicant’s house on April 22, 2019, and the arrest of the three police escort from Lokoja and ordering the withdrawal of the three policemen from the applicant by the police without any valid court order is unlawful and a violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights under the 1999 constitution (as amended).”
Also, “an order of the court directing the Police Commissioner to release and restore the three policemen withdrawn from the applicant, back to the applicant since the CP is not the approving authority.”
In a 36 paragraph affidavits attached to the motion on notice setting out the facts upon which the application is based, Chief Ifediba deposed that on Tuesday April 22, 2019, the respondents stormed his residence at Isioji village, Ezinifite, Aguata Local Government Area, with the intention to arrest, detain, extort money from him as ‘bail fees’ and humiliate him before members of the public over the ownership of the trademark of ‘Stihl’ brand of machines and who has the right to import and distribute the same in the country between him and Anthony Onyia.
According to him the policemen created a scene at his gate by shooting sporadically and threatened to kill his three police escorts from Special Protection Unit (SPU) if they could not produce Ifediba to be taken to Lagos.
The plaintiff also demanded N5million compensation for damages and unlawful violation of his fundamental rights to liberty.
After hearing the prayers of Ifediba, the presiding judge, Justice Sylvester Odili, ordered the services of court processes and other documents on the defendants based on the plea from the applicant’s counsel, Chibuike Nwabueze, that a substituted service be served on the respondents, and the judge adjourned the matter till June 5, 2019, for hearing.
