By Mike Adeyemi
KASMAG Motors has taken legal action against office of the Kwara State Attorney General and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps over the demolition (NSCDC) of its head office situated at Unity road, Ilorin.
This was disclosed by Barr. Taofeeq Albarka, Counsel to Chairman of KASMAG Motors, Alhaji Abdulganiyu Omoola during a chat with National Pilot, at the weekend.
According to him, “on behalf of our client we have instituted an action against office of the Attorney General, the claimant, Tunde Adebayo and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
“The case has been assigned to Honorable Justice A.B Mohammed. We are expecting the Court to communicate the date of the sitting to us. We are about to serve the Attorney General and NSCDC an advance copy of our case to them so as to get set for their defence.
Albarka further disclosed that the Kwara State Commissioner of Police has instituted a panel of inquiry to unravel the matter.
“Apart from the legal approach, the state Commissioner of Police has also set up a panel of inquiry and they promised to communicate the outcome to us.
“On our part, we don’t want to be prejudicial. Whatsoever the outcome is, it will get to public domain,” he added.
“Both suit nos MCIA/551/2015 which is before Magistrate on tenancy and KWS/221/2018 which is on ownership of No 9 Unity Road, Ilorin.
In none of these two cases was any order for demolition of my client’s garage. We have now filled a suit before High Court of Justice, Ilorin in suit no KWS 162/2020 where we are asking the defendant for apology and damages to their malicious and illegal demolition of our client’s garage”.
The legal practitioner, however, described the purported court injunction obtained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corpse (NSCDC) as null and void.
“It is unimaginable for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to have claimed they got order from the Magistrate Court to demolish No 9 Unity Road.
“Two wrongs can never make a right. What we have been contending from the beginning was that there wasn’t any order at all via anybody including the claimant directing the NSCDC to demolish KASMAG parks.
“The case has been before the High Court in a suit no KSW2212018. There was no order of such. If there was an order, we won’t have continued with the case.
“So the purported order of demolition obtained by the officials of NSCDC is void and we has filed a case for that,” Abarka explained.
Recall that the Ilorin Head Office of KASMAG, a popular interstate transportation company was last month demolished in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The office located along Unity area of Ilorin metropolis was demolished under the supervision of men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), who claimed to have acted on court injunctions.
