Firm directors slam N10b rights violation suit against IGP, five others

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) and five others have been slammed with a N10 billion suit for allegedly breaching the fundamental human rights of two company directors.

The suit was filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja by two investors, Ibrahim Shehu Tenimu and Jemima Monosoko Shehu, who are directors with an indigenous Paz Oil Nigeria Limited.

Apart from IGP, other defendants in the suit are the Nigeria Police Force, Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Superintendent of Police, Sadiq Sule, Dr Kamoru Yusuf and his Company, Kam Steel Integrated Company Limited as 1st to 6th defendants respectively.

The applicants said that Dr Yusuf, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Kam Steel, is allegedly using the instrumentalities of police to breach their fundamental rights without due process of law.

Specifically, they claimed that Dr Yusuf, who is the 5th defendant, is using police through the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of Kwara State Command to intimidate, harass, witch hunt and oppress them and their family members over a pure civil transaction.

The suit, which is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1278/2023, and filed by Akintoye Balogun against the defendants on behalf of the applicants is before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon.

The applicants are seeking amongst others, “A declaration that the serial acts of intimidation, incessant invitations and persistent threats of the 1st to 4th respondents to invite, witch-hunt, arrest, detain, embarrass and humiliate them on the alleged prompting and instigation of the 5th defendant amount to a violation of their fundamental rights as enshrined in sections 35, 37, 39, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.”

They also want the court to declare that the serial acts of intimidation, harassment and arrest by the defendants over civil transactions between the applicants and the 5th and 6th defendants as illegal, unconstitutional and constitute a blatant violation of the applicants’ fundamental rights as enshrined in sections 35, 37, 39, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

In addition, they want the court to declare that the violent invasion of their residence at Plot 1, Ibrahim Shehu Tenimu Close, Gwarimpa, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by operatives of the 1st to 4th defendants at the instigation of the 5th defendants, on August 1 and 2nd, 2023 to arrest them was unlawful and breach of their rights to privacy and dignity of human person, among other prayers.

As a result, the applicants are asking for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from the continuous invitations, witch-hunting, arresting and attempts to arrest, detain, embarrass and humiliate them.

They prayed for an order, directing the respondents jointly and severally, to pay them a sum of N10 billion as exemplary damages for the wanton and grave violation of their fundamental rights without following the due process of the law.