Businessman Musa Mubarak Saliu has taken the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging that he was falsely declared a wanted person in a land dispute.
The suit, filed by his lawyers, also names the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department and Funmilola Florence Olorunfemi as defendants.
The lawsuit is based on 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, a politician and former New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) governorship candidate in Kogi State in 2023, is seeking N500 million in damages for the violation of his rights to privacy, dignity of the human person, personal liberty, and freedom of movement when the Police declared him wanted.
Saliu is asking the court to order the Police to unfreeze the account number 1000129689 with Globus Bank belonging to Emperor City Integrated Limited, where he is the alter ego and signatory, as the action violates his fundamental rights.
He also wants 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.
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In addition, Saliu is requesting the court to order the Police to issue an apology published in the Special Police Gazette bulletin and two national dailies.
The dispute arose after Olorunfemi paid N25 million to subscribe to one of Saliu’s houses being built, but work halted after the FCT Department of Development Control demolished the estate.
Saliu claims that 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.
He argues that the relationship between him and Olorunfemi is civil in nature and has no criminal connotation to warrant Police involvement, questioning, account blocking, or being declared a wanted person.
No hearing date has been set for the case.
