Businessman sues police over false ‘wanted’ declaration

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

A businessman, Musa Mubarak Saliu, has instituted a fundamental right suit against the Inspector General of Police(IGP) at the Federal High Court in Abuja, over his false declaration as a wanted person in a land dispute.

The plaintiff, through his counsel, Femi Motojesi Esq also joins the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department and Funmilola Florence Olorunfemi as defendants.

The suit is brought pursuant to 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 the sum of N500 million 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.

Saliu wants 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 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 N25 million to subscribe to one of his houses being built but 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 site.

He is contending that the relationship between him and the Olorunfemi is civil in nature, has no criminal connotation to warrant the police delving into it, inviting him for questioning, blocking his account and publishing his picture and details as a wanted person in the Police Gazette bulletin.

Meantime, no Judge and date has been assigned for the hearing.