The owner of Kings and Queens Restaurant that was demolished by the Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency (KASUPDA) has faulted police claims that her building was the venue for the botched sex party organised by some youth.
Daily Trust reports that the Police had on Thursday paraded the suspected organisers of the event while officials of KASUPDA demolished the building claiming it was the alleged venue for the event.
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However, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the restaurant and owner of the building located in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, Aisha Mercy Yakubu denied knowledge of the event saying two of the people arrested and paraded by the police were her staff and not organisers of the event.
‘N32 million property lost’
Yakubu said she lost goods worth N32 million as well as cooking utensils, furniture, electric appliances, chillers, deep freezers and bemarrings out door catering utensils.
“I watched them pull down the building without allowing me remove any item before the demolition and as a result of the trauma, I lost my one-month old pregnancy,” she said, adding that: “I plan to seek legal redress for defamation of my character and the loss of my properties, in the building, plus other sundry issues as would be advised by my lawyers.”
Giving account of what transpired, she said, on the 27th December, 2020, a customer had hired the VIP Lounge of the restaurant for a 15-man reunion/Clothing line promo, to appreciate his customers for their good patronage of his brands adding that before the event commenced, they had noticed an unusual movement around the main gate to the restaurant.
“We approached the main gate and on getting there I saw two truck-load of heavily armed officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). I asked the team leader what was going on but he ignored my question and said he will explain to me when we get to the Police Station, Sabon Tasha Division.”
Yakubu narrated that on arriving the station, the Police had showed them a poster of the Kaduna sex party event on a GSM phone belonging to one Inspector Felix and the Police claimed the venue for the supposed party was scheduled to hold at her restaurant, even though no venue was indicated on the poster.
“I denied knowledge of that event as there was nothing of that sort taking place at the restaurant and I wouldn’t stoop so low to entertain such illicit activity at my place, but the Police refused to believe me and had my friend and two of my staff detained for one night, one day, until the customer that had earlier hired the place for usage on that fateful day was also arrested the next day.”
She said the police released them after paying an alleged bail fee of N100,000 to Inspector Felix and one other lady Officer who she described as ‘fair in complexion.
Yakubu however said she had suggested to the police to call the phone number on the supposed poster which they immediately did and a name came up using the True Caller App as Marvellous Akpan.
Yakubu said the police had asked her to pay N20,000 as tracking fee for the number which she obliged adding that Marvellous Akpan was eventually arrested the next day and during interrogation confessed to owning the phone number on the poster and printing of the poster which was posted on Social Media, assisted by a friend he identified as Noah and one other.
She said on further interrogation, Marvellous had confessed to the police that he didn’t know her and had never been to her restaurant nor possess knowledge of its address adding that: “He claimed that the poster for the supposed “Kaduna Sex Party” was just a prank. Mr. Chimeze, who had hired the restaurant was released, summarily, after the successful arrest of Mr Akpan.”
But Yakubu said on 31st December, 2020, while at another branch of her restaurant, a friend had called her attention to activities at her restaurant and on arrival, noticed a combined team of police men, soldiers, KASTLEA and Vigilante groups guarding a pay loader to demolished her building.
“No prior notice was served to me before the demolition, there was no any form of communication between I and KASUPDA who came to demolished the building structure.,” she said.
Bail conundrum
Reacting to the said bail collected and the money ‘collected’ to track the suspects, the police Public Relations Officer in Kaduna, ASP Mohamed Jalige asked Yakubu to contact him with the name of the person who collected the bail money from her.
He said: “Regarding the money for tracking, the police do not do the tracking, we also have to pay the company to do the tracking for us and that is why the money was collected. Also, she claimed her staff were among the suspects paraded, but we paraded all those involved in the planning and execution of the party, so her staff were also involved as our investigation has shown.”
