Lukman Olabiyi
A Nigerian businessman based in Ghana, Jayson Bailey Kimipado, has appealed to the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, to take disciplinary action against some policemen who allegedly connived with some individuals to demolish his property in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State.
He alleged that his building was demolished under the supervision of some policemen from the Police Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi.
Speaking to reporters in Lagos, Kimipado lamented that two Nigerians, Obele and Prince, who reportedly claimed to have influence over the police, trespassed on his lawful property by demolishing his structures, in connivance with the policemen attached to the Special Fraud Unit in Lagos, after which they took possession of the land and posted armed policemen to stand guard over the land.
Narrating his plight through his lawyer, Charles Omosohwofa, Esq, Kimipado said that the land was purchased in 2016 at Lake View Estate, Amuwo-Odofin, and duly registered at the land registry with a certified copy of certificate of occupancy with a survey plan.
According to Kimipado, Edward Ojefia acted as his agent and helped him in the purchase of the land because he lives in Ghana.
He said: “The seller took only part-payment of the agreed price on hearing from the man he earlier bought the land from that some persons were trespassing into the land.
“It was agreed between all the parties that part-payment should be made pending the resolution of how the owner of the land intended taking action against the trespassers. Subsequently, the seller initiated action at the High Court of Lagos State and, during the pendency of the action, the trespassers were duly served all the notices by the order of the court.
“In June 2015, judgement was delivered in the owners’ favour and, thereafter, the owner concluded the necessary documentation with me and I then fenced the land and began erecting structures on it. However, two years after, the trespassers threatened to pull down a part of the fence claiming that it encroached on their own adjoining land. Subsequently, the man who led other trespassers proceeded to lock up those that bought the land on my behalf at the Special Fraud Unit on trumped-up charges for three days.”
When contacted, the spokesman for the SFU, Lawal Audu, said: “We are aware of the case. None of our policemen supervised any demolition. What happened was that we got instruction from the IGP to take over the case from another police unit.”
We did due deligence and during investigation, we discovered that someone had sold a parcel of land that does not belong to him .We invited the man that claimed that he is the original owner of the land . He came and we allowed him to go on bail , but he failed to report back. It was when our officers threatened to arrest his surety if he fails to bring him and others involved that he wrote the petition to cause confusion. . Our men will never engage in demolition exercise . We only took the case file from another police unit . The two officers the petitioner is accusing are a Chief Superintendent of Police and a Deputy Superintendent of Police . Is it possible for the senior officers to supervise demolition of houses ? Let him provide the person he signed surety for . We have no interest in the case ,rather than that the IGP ordered us to take the case file from another police unit “.