Major success as police defeat alleged sponsor of Badoo cult group, Abayomi, over N500m claims
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday, April 24, refused to award N500 million damages against the Nigeria Police Force for the arrest, detention and parade of Alhaji Alaka Abayomi before the media on July 31, 2017.
Abayomi was paraded as an alleged sponsor and godfather of the murderous ritual group, Badoo, which activities have almost been crippled by the police.
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The Punch reports that even though Justice Muslim Hassan slammed the police for detaining Abayomi beyond 24 hours without a court order, the court declined to award exemplary damages of N500 million in favour of Abayomi, an oil marketer against the police.
The report said the judge also declined a prayer by Abayomi that it should order the police to publish and furnish an unreserved apology to the applicant in four national daily newspapers and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp.
The judge was not, however happy that the police did not show up in court despite service of the suit which had the Inspector-General of Police, commissioner in Lagos state; and CSP Obot Umoh of the IGP Special Tactical Squad, Lagos joined as defendants.
“I can see that despite the hearing notice ordered by this court to be served on the respondents, no counter-affidavit was filed to controvert the claims of the plaintiff, which amount to an admission by the respondents.
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“I have read and examined the relief and the affidavit of the applicant in the instant suit, which is not contradicted, and discovered that the detention of the plaintiff herein beyond 24 hours, without an order of court, is a breach of his fundamental rights enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
“I agree that the police cannot be prevented from carrying out their constitutional duty but this must be done within the purview of the law and the constitution,” Justice Hassan declared.
NAIJ.com earlier reported that Alhaji Alaka Abayomi, the oil tycoon accused of being a kinpin of the dreaded cult, Badoo, denied it and accused the Lagos state police command and commissioner of police, Edgal Imohimi, of high-handedness.
Abayomi, who was declared wanted by the Lagos state police, alleged that no proper investigation would be done by the state police and insisted he would not appear before the state command or the commissioner.
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Source: Naija.ng