- Lagos Baale Sues IGP, Police Over Alleged Rights Violation
- Seeks ₦50 million in damages
- Taiwo Adeleye maintained that the Adeleye family are the customary owners of the disputed Opeki Village land
A Lagos community leader, Chief Busari Abatan Adeleye, has dragged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Commissioner of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), Lagos Annex, Akanniyene Ezima, before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.
Eko Hot Blog repots that Chief Adeleye the Baale of Adeleye Opeki Community in Abesan, Ipaja, alongside two family members, Taiwo Adeleye and Akinola Akeem Adeleye, is seeking ₦50 million in damages for alleged harassment, intimidation, and unlawful arrest. One Egonte Chukwuma Onyema was joined as the third respondent in the matter.
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The applicants contend that their arrest and detention between 15 and 16 September, allegedly instigated by Onyema, amounted to a violation of their fundamental rights to liberty, dignity, and property as guaranteed under Sections 35, 36, and 44 of the 1999 Constitution.
They are also asking the court to declare that the arrest, linked to accusations of trespass, malicious damage, and wrongful execution of judgment, was unlawful. The suit further seeks restraining orders against further police interference, along with ₦50 million in general damages and ₦5 million in aggravated damages.
In a 31-paragraph affidavit, Taiwo Adeleye maintained that the Adeleye family are the customary owners of the disputed Opeki Village land in Abesan, whose ownership was affirmed by a Lagos High Court judgment on 7 July 2022 delivered by Justice O.A. Taiwo.
Despite the ruling, Onyema allegedly continued to involve the police in what the applicants describe as unlawful attempts to re-enter the land. Records also show that the dispute dates back to 2010, when the Adeleye family initiated a civil suit against Onyema’s father, Andrew Egonte. After Egonte’s legal team failed to file a defence, the court entered judgment in favour of the Adeleye family.
As of filing time, the police authorities and Onyema had yet to respond to the suit, while the court has not fixed a date for hearing.
