Club accuses police of illegal demolition, seeks N5b damages
By Ibe Uwaleke
ALAGOS-BASED organisation, People's Club of Nigeria International has demanded N5 billion from the police as damages for the invasion of its premises.
A petition by the club's lawyer, Mr. Nwandibe Okoye Eze, which was addressed to the chairman, the Police Service Commission, Abuja, alleged that about seven heavily armed mobile policemen led two buses suspected to be loaded with thugs to invade the premises on August 4, 2004 by 5 p.m.
The petition claimed that as soon as the armed men arrived, they seized the security man of the club, Mr. Innocent Erugo and two other employees at gun point before the demolition.
According to the lawyer, the men in mufti whom the police led came with sledgehammers, pick axes, diggers, clubs, crowbars and other dangerous weapons with which they carried out the destruction.
At arrival, the demolition squad was said to have used the buses to barricade the road to forestall interference during the operation.
At the end of the operation, the club complained that several buildings on the premises were pulled down. Some of the structures affected included the plant house, the supervisor's office, goods store, social welfare kitchen, the clubs main hall and the executive meeting hall. Others were furniture, doors railings, ceilings, plastic chairs, tables, among others.
As Okoye-Eze put it, his clients are suspecting that the action was masterminded by Ansar-Ud-Deen Society, which owns a mosque in the next adjourning compound to the club. But the club wondered why the police should provide arms and logistics for the wanton destruction.
"Our reason for saying that Ansar-Ud-Deen Mosque induced this is because a similar, but not so extensive assault on the same premises was carried out in 1994" the lawyer said.
According to him, Ansar-Ud-Deen has been disputing the ownership of the piece of land with the club since then, forcing the latter group to seek a legal redress.
The court granted an interim injunction asking the parties to maintain the status quo until the action in court was disposed of.
Giving a historical background of the land, the club claimed that it acquired it in 1982 from the Bendel State government, which formerly executed a deed of Lease in the club's favour.
It was after the acquisition they further alleged that they erected the club house and several other structures, which have been pulled down.
Ansar-Ud-Deen on its part claimed that it purchased the piece of land from the E.K. Clark.
The case at the Lagos High Court is before Justice Dolapo Sanga who is now taking evidence from witnesses. The action was instituted in 1994 by the club.
To the club members, according to the petition, the action of the policemen in invading the property "was an attempt to pre-empt the judgment of the Lagos High Court and cause confusion and loss".
The club, therefore, called on the police authorities to probe the action and bring its perpetrators to justice.
When the Area Commander of the Surulere Area command of the Nigerian Police was contacted, he denied knowledge of the men who came for the operation.
According to him, no record of the policemen was shown in any division of his command therefore, the police did not authorise the destruction of the club house.
But, he said that an investigation into the incident had been instituted and that any one found culpable would be punished.
People's Club is an international organisation with its Headquarters in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The club has also branches in all the 36 state capitals including Abuja and nine international branches including London.
