A construction company, Stonehood Limited, Ota, Ogun State, has filed a fundamental rights suit against the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, over the arrest and detention of two workers of the company.
Other respondents in the matter included the state Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, and one Mr. Orji.
The company alongside the two workers, a transport manager, Mikail Lawal, and a truck driver, Yekini Haruna, reportedly filed the suit seeking among others, the sum of N1m as compensation for the psycho-emotional and financial injuries sustained as a result of their unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional arrest and detention, as well as the illegal removal and relocation of a truck from the company’s premises.
In the document with the suit number AB/ 423 /2022, which was obtained by our correspondent, the applicants sought the court to declare the arrest and detention of the workers by the respondents as unlawful and repugnant to Sections 34 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The suit read in part, “A declaration that the removal, towing and relocation of the truck with number plate: LND186XS, Engine No: 1113E006991 and Chassis No: LVBV7PEC4DH011946 belonging to the 3rd applicant from its premise at Kilometer 4, Idi Iroko, Sango Ota, Ogun State, to the police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, Ogun State, is illegal, unlawful and violate section 34 of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 (amended).”
PUNCH Metro had reported that the company alleged that policemen in the state arrested and detained its workers over the disappearance of money meant for the purchase of a truck.
The company also accused the police of towing the said truck to their station on the instruction of one Mr. Orji who claimed to have paid N5m for the truck valued at N15m.
The company’s Managing Director, Dare Oyalowo, told our correspondent that one Ademola, who claimed to be an agent, collected the money from Orji, who came from Rivers State.
He said Ademola, who wasn’t a staff of the company, fled after receiving the funds, adding that the police were invited by Orji and three company workers were arrested and taken to the Onipanu Police Station.
He said the transport manager and the truck driver were detained while the company’s accountant, Kehinde Aliyat, who went to the station to bail them, was also detained.
“The police only released two of them after insisting on N250,000 for bail. They eventually collected N150,000 and released the two workers,” he added.
