A Telecom guru, Mr. Adegoke Ayoola, has on 5th of October, 2020, filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit before the Federal High Court Abuja, against the Inspector-General of Police for unlawful arrest and detention, in respect of civil and commercial transactions and for directly aiding and abetting his opponents to take over his company and commercial interests.

This is contained in a statement signed by his lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN sighted by LegaldeskNG

Other Defendants in the suit are the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), DSP Funmi Eguaoje, who is the police team leader, SC Connections Ltd, Mr. Ali Joda, Mohammed Bashir Ahmed, Taiwo Abiodun, Sulaiman Abubakar and Moses Pila.

Adegboruwa, SAN, said Mr. Ayoola “formed a partnership with some businessmen to handle telecoms interconnections between the telecoms operators, with a profit ratio of 58/42% and he has been running the company as its Managing Director since 2010 until sometimes in July 2019, when he travelled abroad for his medical check up and some of his partners claimed to have held an illegal board meeting to remove him as a signatory to the bank accounts of the company.

“Mr. Ayoola stated further that he filed Suit No. FHC/L/CS/29/2020 at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court in order to challenge decisions purportedly taken at the said Board meeting but instead of defending the suit in court, his partners formed an alignment with some officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja, through a frivolous petition, leading to his arrest on September 3, 2020 and his subsequent detention for seven days in Abuja, with other suspects who had no face masks, no sanitizers and they were not observing any COVID 19 safety protocols.

“Whilst he was in police custody, the police forced him to agree to settle with his opponents, who were allowed to take over his interrogation and interview, and all the while dictating to the police and demanding documents from him. At age 61 and with underlying health conditions, Mr. Ayoola stated that he is scared for his health and that the police were deliberately surrendering their powers to his opponents to harass, intimidate and bully him into yielding his interests, investments and years of labour, to them.”

Mr. Ayoola further accused his opponents of boasting that they were well connected with the law enforcement agencies, such as the EFCC, DSS and NSA and have vowed to use their connections even up to the Presidency, to deal with him and to force him to relinquish his interests in the business to them.

According to Adegboruwa, Mr. Ayoola is praying the Court to declare his arrest and detention as illegal, null and void and to restrain the police from setting the law against him in respect of civil matters, for an order to preserve his liberty and life.

The learned silk said section 8 (2) of the Adminstration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and section 32 (2) of the newly-enacted Police Act, 2020, prohibits the police from arresting any citizen for contractual or civil matters.

Other reliefs among others are “FIVE HUNDRED MILLION NAIRA ONLY being general, aggravated, special and exceptional damages against the Respondents, jointly and/ or severally for the violation of the fundamental rights of the Applicant.

“AN ORDER directing the Respondents, whether by themselves, their servants, agents, officers or otherwise howsoever to forthwith release the international passport of the Applicant to him.”

Adegboruwa, SAN, said he had in a personal letter addressed to and received in the office of the Inspector-General of Police, urged the IGP to call the team handling the case to order to obey the civil authority and integrity of the court.

No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.