The Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed and five others have been dragged to court by the Elegushi Royal family for reportedly trying to take over a land that belongs to the family at the Eti Osa local government area of the state.
Sued alongside the Nigeria police IG are Bela Vista Property and Development Company Limited; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kolo Yusuf; DSP Ibrahim Agu; Supol Udofia and the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice as the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th respondents respectively.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu
The police IG, whose tenure is over but was on Thursday extended by President Muhammadu Buhari for three months, was accused by the royal family of brutality, unjust arrest and detention as well as wrongful prosecution of members of its family over the said plot of land.
The family noted that the police had no authority and power to be involved in land matters, especially one that has an ongoing litigation at the court of competent jurisdiction.
According to the court document sighted by SaharaReporters, in the case before the High Court of Lagos State, the Elegushi family is praying the court to grant an order enforcing their fundamental rights and declare that the constant brutalisation and arrest of Elegushi family on the directive of the police IG for no just cause is illegal, unconstitutional and a breach of the fundamental right as guaranteed by the constitution of Nigeria.
They also prayed the court to declare that the “harassment, intimidation and attempt to coerce and blackmail the applicants to surrender their family property situated at Ebute Ikate Elegushi to the first respondent by the second respondent through the officers of the Nigeria Police Force is illegal, unconstitutional breach of their fundamental right”.
Seeking relief from the court, the Elegushi family prayed the court to grant a claim of N250m as substantial and exemplary damages against the respondents led by the IG of police, Mohammed.
They also asked the court to make an order restraining the respondents jointly and severally, their servants, agents and privies from further acts of violation of their rights.
In an affidavit deposed to by one Chief Abdulahi Olusegun Elegushi, the family told the court that in 2017, about 20 thugs and three police officers from the Federal Criminal Investigation Department led by DSP Agu forcefully stormed the family land, and arrested two royal security guards on duty.
The family also said that the IG of police detailed mobile policemen from Mopol 46 to the land with instruction to arrest any member of Elegushi royal family found anywhere on or near the land.
In the affidavit, the family also accused the police IG of forging a police report that was presented to the court ceding the ownership of their land to Bela Vista property.
