Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and the Police Service Commission (PSC) have unlawfully demolished a property in the Falomo area of Lagos State.
The police authorities want to rebuild its decrepit Falomo Police Barracks on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. So, the existing structures in the barracks have been pulled down.
In the first week of November, agents of the police authorities demolished a part of the building, consisting of 5 rooms, a toilet and a bathroom, without any prior notice to the family of Egwudah Joy Onyeka who had been in peaceful and undisturbed possession of the property for the past 50 years, according to Adeola Adelusi, a legal practitioner representing the family.
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The building was in no way part of the barracks. In fact, the property was located some metres away from the barracks.
In order to preserve the status quo and prevent the complete destruction of the property, Onyeka led her family to hire Adelusi who got the court to grant a temporary order, stopping the demolition.
Onyeka sued the NPF, IGP, Assistant Inspector General of Police and the chairman of the PSC as respondents in the case marked FHC/L/CS/2037/2024.
On November 22, Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the police to discontinue the demolition pending the hearing of a substantive matter over the property.
A side of the building before demolition.
“An order of interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the respondents by themselves, their agents and servants from using their coercive and penal powers to demolish and unlawfully acquire the property of the applicant and her family members/relations situate at 229 Awolowo Road, off Police Barracks, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos, or to perpetrate any further violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application,” a certified true copy of the order obtained by FIJ read.
“An order of interim injunction if further granted restraining the respondents by themselves, their agents and servants from unlawfully or forcibly acquiring the property of the applicant and her family members/relations situate at 299 Awolowo Road, off Police Barracks, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos or doing any act capable of limiting or restricting the applicant’s access to and enjoyment of any proprietary resources capable of enhancing the applicant’s and her family’s welfare or any other encumbrance to the enjoyment of her fundamental rights pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
Adelusi told FIJ on Friday that a bailiff of the court served the police commission, the NPF and other parties copies of the order on December 5.
Additionally, a copy of the order was pasted on the gate to the building.
Nevertheless, the police went ahead with the destruction of the property, ignoring the court’s directive.
A bulldozer demolishing the building.
“The building was between an MTN mast and the barracks. The day the police agents came, they first removed the building’s roof,” Adelusi said.
“The land housing the building was not part of the barracks and its ownership had never been in question. The family had been enjoying their property for over 50 years without any adverse claim from anybody, not even the police.
“So when we saw the speed with which they moved to demolish it, we then approached the court with a substantive case and the court rightly granted us an order to stop further action from the police.
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“We served all the layers of police leadership included in the case. None was left out. We equally pasted a copy on the gate.”
A copy of the order pasted at the building’s entrance.
The police commission could not be immediately reached for comments as the phone number available on its website was unreachable at press time.
Adejobi Muyiwa, the police spokesperson, had not returned an unanswered phone call placed to his line at press time.
The post IGP, PSC Ignore Court Order, Demolish Family’s Property in Lagos appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.