A Lagos community leader has taken the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Force Intelligence Department, Lagos Annex, to court over allegations of harassment, intimidation, and unlawful arrest. Chief Busari Abatan Adeleye, the Baale of Adeleye Opeki Community in Abesan, Ipaja, Lagos, filed a N50 million fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, alongside two of his family members, Taiwo Adeleye and Akinola Akeem Adeleye.
The applicants are seeking a judicial declaration that their arrest and detention on September 15 and 16, allegedly orchestrated by Egonte Chukwuma Onyema, violated their fundamental rights to liberty, dignity of person, and property, as protected under the 1999 Constitution. They claim that the police actions, carried out on Onyema’s instructions, constituted abuse of power and unlawful interference with their rights. The allegations stem from a long-standing land dispute between the applicants and Onyema’s family, which has been the subject of a civil suit.
According to the applicants, their family has been the customary owner of the Opeki Village land in Abesan, Lagos, and their ownership claim was legally affirmed by a Lagos State High Court judgment delivered on July 7, 2022. Despite this, Onyema allegedly continued to instigate the police to interfere unlawfully with the family’s rights and to forcefully re-enter the disputed land. The applicants are seeking restraining orders to prevent further arrests or harassment by the respondents, as well as N50 million in general damages and N5 million in aggravated damages for the alleged violations.
The land dispute has been ongoing since 2011, when the applicants filed a civil suit against Andrew Egonte, Onyema’s father. The court entered judgment in favor of the Adeleye family after Egonte’s counsel failed to file a defense. The applicants maintain that they have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by the police, allegedly at Onyema’s behest, despite the court’s decision.
As of the time of filing, the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, and Onyema have not responded to the suit, and the court has not fixed a date for hearing. The case highlights the need for law enforcement agencies to respect the fundamental rights of citizens and to avoid abuse of power. The outcome of the case will have significant implications for the applicants and may set! a precedent for similar cases in the future.
