Two businessmen have sued the Inspector General of Police, IGP, and five other persons for N10 billion for alleged violation harassment and violation of their human rights.
In a matter that’s now before the Federal High court in Abuja, Ibrahim Shehu Tenimu and Jemima Monosoko Shehu, who claimed to be Directors with an indigenous Paz Oil Nigeria Limited, accused one Dr Kamoru Yusuf, who is the chief executive of Kam Steel Integrated Limited of using the instrumentalities of the police force in the country to breach their fundamental human rights.
Apart from the IGP, others named in the case are the Nigeria Police Force, NPF; Commissioner of Police in Kwara State Command, Superintendent of Police Sadiq Sule; Dr. Yusuf, and his Company, Kam Steel Integrated Limited as defendants.
According to the plaintiffs, Dr Yusuf who is the fifth defendant in the case was 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 marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1278/2023, was instituted by Akintoye Balogun, against the defendants on behalf of the applicants.
In the suit before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, the plaintiffs are seeking the following prayers from the court: “A declaration that the serial acts of intimidation, incessant invitations and persistent threats of the 1st to 4th respondents (the Police) to invite, witch-hunt, arrest, detain, embarrass and humiliate them on the alleged prompting and instigation of the 5th Respondent (Dr. Kamoru Yusuf), amount to a violation of their fundamental rights as enshrined in sections 35, 37, 39, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“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 the applicants herein, on the prompting and instigation of the 5th respondent, over civil transactions between the applicants and the 5th and 6th respondents is illegal, unlawful, wrongful, unconstitutional and constitute a blatant violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights as enshrined in sections 35 to 37, 39, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
“A declaration that the violent invasion, viet armis of the 1st applicant’s residence at Plot 1, Ibrahim Shehu Tenimu Close, Gwarimpa, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by operatives of the 1st to 4th respondents at the instigation of the 5th respondent, on the 1st and the 2nd of August 2023 to arrest the 1st and 2nd Applicants, without a warrant or a court order to that effect, is ultra vires the powers of the respondents is illegal, unconstitutional and constitutes a violation of the applicants’ fundamental rights to privacy and dignity of human person as guaranteed by sections 34 and 37of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
“A declaration that the applicants are entitled to a public apology and adequate compensation from the respondents as provided for in sections 35 (6) and 46 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered, Sections 314 (1) and 323 (1), (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, for the blatant violation of the Applicants’ fundamental rights, over a civil transaction.”
They applied for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the respondents 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 only as exemplary damages for the wanton and grave violation of their fundamental rights without following the due process of the law.
Justice Olajuwon has yet to fix a date for the hearing of the case.
