Admin l Tuesday, July 23, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria – Mrs. Babalola Damilola, a Lagos based businesswoman has dragged two serving police officers before a Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeja, for allegedly extorting N70,000 from her before she was granted bail.
In a motion on notice ID/8016MFHR/19, brought by claimant counsel Kayode Adaramoye, the applicant alleged that the duo of Mr. Seidu Lateef Adekunle and Sergent Shedrack Nwadike,Team 6, Federal Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau, Alagbon, demanded and forcefully extorted money in two tranches of N45, 000 (cash payment) and N25,000 through fund transfer to a nominated account.
The matter is before Justice Yetunde Pinheiro of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. The applicant averred that contrary to the general claim that bail is free, Bolanle allegedly paid cash payment of N45,000 to Sergent Nwadike, in addition to N25, 000, transferred to an FCMB bank account number 0744879015, allegedly nominated by the police officers before she could regain freedom.
“To regain my freedom, Sgt. Shedrack, gave account details of one Mrs. Oladehinde Omobola, 0744879015 FCMB, to which I paid N25,000, a fellow police officer, plus N45, 000 paid in cash.
“When payment was to be made in December, 2018 and we could not meet up, Adekunle compelled me to pay N20,000, into his First Bank account number 3097052789,” Damilola said. Others respondents alongside the duo are Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Pastor Olukayode Johnson and Mr. Sunday Enyiukwu.
Damilola averred that she bought a 150KVA Perkins Marapco generator set at a cost of N3.2 million from Enyiukwu (5th respondent) on the advice of Pastor Johnson (4th respondent) to power her recycling plant.
She is praying the court to declare her arrest on November 8,2018 and January 22, 2019, as illegal, unlawful and violation of her personal liberty as guaranteed and preserved by Section 33, 34 and 35 of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
“Upon payment of N1.3 million by the applicant, the 5th respondent installed the generator with the agreement that as work progresses, she will liquidate the remaining balance.
“The generator could not produce electricity to fulfil or perform the main function for which it was purchased. Sequel to this, the applicant got the 5th respondent informed and he came to remove some parts considered bad for repairs. The respondent subsequently came back in a month after to fit the machine which could not work,” she said.
The applicant further noted that she thereafter demanded for refund from Enyiukwu, as the said generator refused to function. She said upon her demand Pastor Johnson and Enyiukwu unlawfully invited the police in a pure civil contractual matter to arrest and detain her.
“The matter between parties is purely a contractual matter within the purview of civil, and hence, no justification and howsoever for the intervention of the police,” she said.
But in a counter affidavit been challenged by applicant counsel on the ground that it was not properly brought before the court, Sgt. Augustin Abunwaeze, on behalf of second and third respondents debunked claim of the applicant. He averred that the money the claimant is claiming was money he spent on the claimant applicant while she was in the custody.
“The applicant sent him to many places wherein he used his personal money for transport fare in a bid to assist her to get in touch with her relatives in order to stand surety for her which he did out of sympathy and friendliness.
“That it was the money he spent on the applicant while she was in the cell and the transport fare that the applicant refunded back to second respondent after over one month that she spent in police custody, ” he averred. The matter has been adjourned to October 4.
