Businesswoman sues CP for N5bn over illegal detention

A N20 million-business deal between the Enugu State Police Commissioner, Mr. Adamu Mohammed, and an Abuja-based businesswoman, Mrs. Hannah Ochepo, has gone awry as the woman has sued the police officer for N5 billion at the High Court of Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The case was connected with alleged kidnapping and illegal detention.

Meanwhile, Justice Valentine Ashi has ordered the plaintiff to enforce service of the court processes on the Enugu State police commissioner by substituted means through a newspaper publication.
This was after counsel to the applicant, Dr. Ikenna Ihezuo, informed the court that Mohammed had refused to accept personal service from court bailiff. The court had earlier ordered the police commissioner to produce the businesswoman, who had been in his custody since July 2, 2015, in court yesterday.

When the case came up yesterday, the police commissioner, Mrs. Ochepo and other respondents were not in court. It was based on the above development that Justice Ashi granted the request by applicant counsel for a substituted service. The suit proper was a fall out of N20 million transactions between the commissioner and Ochepo.

According to suit no. CV/2595/15: “Adamu Mohammed, who is the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State entered into an oral agreement with the plaintiff to purchase a three-bedroom bungalow at Apo Re-settlement Quarters, Apo for his personal use.
“The commissioner gave her N20 million only for the purchase of the property.
She purchased a three-bedroom bungalow at the Apo Re-settlement Quarters, for him.
“However, the police commissioner expressed dissatisfaction with the property purchased by the plaintiff and demanded for a refund of his money.
The plaintiff then pleaded for patience for her to re-sell the property and refunds his money to him within two months.

“But the commissioner refused and demanded immediate refund of his money within seven days.
“On July 12, 2015, the commissioner allegedly came to her house in Apo resettlement quarters, Abuja in company of his two sons armed with semi-automatic rifles together with some unknown persons, arrested her and drove her to Enugu were she was detained at the state CID, Enugu State.

“That on July 15, 2015, the commissioner in company with his two sons, and officers from the Anti Kidnap Unit of the Enugu State Command brought the plaintiff in handcuffs back to Abuja, where they searched her house and confiscated the title documents of the three-bedroom bungalow she purchased for him.
“Thereafter, they took her back to Enugu and detained her at the State CID on the condition that she will not be released until she produce the N20 million.”