A businessman, Musa Mubarak Saliu, has demanded the sum of N500 million in damages from the Inspector General of Police in a suit challenging an alleged false declaration on him as a wanted person in a land dispute case.
The suit, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja by his lawyer, Femi Motojesi, joins the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, and Funmilola Florence Olorunfemi as defendants.
The action is a fundamental rights enforcement suit brought under Sections 34, 35, 41 and 46; Articles 5 and 6 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights Cap 10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Saliu, who is also a politician and former New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) governorship candidate in Kogi State in 2023, is demanding N500m in damages for the violation of his constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy and dignity of the human person, personal liberty and freedom of movement when the police declared him wanted.
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Saliu wants the court to order the police to unfreeze account number 1000129689 with Globus Bank belonging to Emperor City Integrated Limited where he is the alter ego and signatory for being a violation of his fundamental rights.
He is also asking the court to declare that the police publication of his picture and name in the Special Police Gazette bulletin as a wanted person with Ref No: CB: 3510/LX/FHQ/SEB/ABJ/T.7/Vo. 1/20 amounted to the violation of his fundamental rights as they lacked such powers “to engage in the act of debt recovery for the 3rd defendant (Olorunfemi) who is a subscriber to the applicant’s (Saliu’s) estate under construction.”
Saliu, in the suit marked CV/2839/24, is further asking the court to order the police to issue an apology published in the Special Police Gazette bulletin and two national dailies.
According to the estate developer, the dispute arose after Olorunfemi paid N25m to subscribe to one of his houses being built but that work halted after the FCT Department of Development Control demolished the estate.
He said Olorunfemi invited the police to recover her money even after he had notified all the subscribers to the estate that he was making efforts to resolve the issue and return to the site.
No date was assigned for hearing.
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