From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Abuja Trader’s Association have asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to immediately arrest and prosecute the 30 fake police officers that were allegedly hired by Urban Shelter Limited to illegally demolish structures at the UTC Area 7 shopping complex, Abuja.
In addition, the association drew the attention of the IGP to the , arrest, intimidation and harassment of its executive officers by the police under the influence of one Bala Jubril of Urban Shelter Limited.
In a petition to the IGP dated April 28, 2023, counsel to the traders, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, a former Attorney General of Imo State and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), gave detail background of how Urban Shelter Limited in flagrant disobedience to a subsisting order of court, mobilized 30 thugs dressed in fake police uniforms to give protection to the illgal demolition of structures at the Area 7 shopping complex.
“The said policemen arrived at the UTC Area 7 Shopping Complex at about 5am on April 4, and gave a fake police protection to the illegal demolition team organized by Urban Shelter, in its efforts to demolish the complex.
” The fact that this illegal demolition done on the complex and its environs that day were all done by the illegal demolition team recruited by Urban Shelter and Abuja Metropolitan Management Council is axiomatic, ” the petition stated.
The petition further explained that 439 members of the association had in suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2634/2021 sued the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Federal Capital Development Authority(FCDA), Abuja Markets Management Limited; Abuja Investment Company Ltd; Urban Shelter Ltd, the Inspector General of Police and Obinna Okolie, over the planned re-modeling of the complex.
That the presiding Judge of the FCT High Court had on December 1, 2021 ordered all parties to maintain status quo.
That Urban Shelter Ltd (5th defendant) defiled, disdained, discarded and wantonly disobeyed the order. It openly engaged in the massive errection of structures at the parking lots of the complex. The plaintiffs as law abiding citizens have duly cited the culprit, Urban Shelter Ltd, for contempt of court.
The petitioners lamented that while the contempt proceedings were ongoing, “the Urban Shelter in utter disrespect to the court dragged the leaders of the plaintiffs to the State Security Service for purposes of arm-twisting the plaintiffs to back out from prosecuting the suit.
” In a more desperate move, Urban Shelter for purposes of achieving the ugly and condemnable phenomenon of forum shopping, manipulated an unfounded petition against the presiding judge over the suit, insisting on the trans7of the case to another court it felt would be amenable to its base interest.
“Few days after it achieved this manipulation, but while the suit is still pending before the court, it got Abuja Metropolitan Management Council to mark the complex and all structures in the vicinity for demolition.
” Its a sorry situation that a private company sued in an ongoing suit can defy all known laws and operate lawlessly and with unguarded impunity.
In another display of being above the rule of law, “Urban Shelter on April 4, 2023, ferried in about 30 armed thugs dressed in fake Nigerian Police uniform with badges and masked to conceal their identity, who arrived at UTC Area 7 Shopping complex at about 5am and gave a fake police protection to the illegal demolition team organized by Urban Shelter, in its efforts to demolish the complex.
” The Chairman of the Trader’s Association of the complex, Mr. Peter Okonkwo was invited to the Zone 7 Police Command, along with all his executive members where they were confronted b a petition against them by Bala Jubril of Urban Shelter Ltd.
“At the Zonal Command, these officials were detained and were forced to make respective statements on the setup allegation of destroying the structures. Every now and then, they are invited back to the Zonal command for the purposes of dispiriting them for the ultimate interest of the Urban Shelter.
The petitioners called on the Inspector General of Police to intervene and not to allow the Nigerian Police Force to be used as a tool for promoting selfish interest of an agent provocateur.
They drew the attention of the police to the relevant provisions of its Act and the 1999 Constitution, which is to protect the society from acts of criminality, lives and property of citizens and apprehend offenders and preserve law and order.
” It is wrong for the Nigerian Police Force to lend itself as a tool for disobedience of court orders and manipulations by selfish persons.
“It is therefore demanding on your office to immediately take measures to prosecute the 30 perons impersonating your officers and those who aided them, that is Urban Shelter as well as ensure that the officers of the Trader’s Association are not harassed, ” Ume wrote.