Businessman to court: Help recover my N640,000 from police

A businessman from Angwan Fulani, Dakwa, Niger State, Mr. Yakubu Salihu, has sued the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) before an FCT High Court, Jabi for alleged illegal detention and abuse of his fundamental human rights.
Salihu was asking the court to declare that his arrest and detention was unlawful and a gross violation to the right of dignity of a person contrary to Section 34(1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution.
He said the police action on him also contravened the provision of Article 4 and 5 of the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights.
The applicant also asked the court to declare the police action as a gross violation of personal liberty and freedom of movement.
He said this was against the provision of Section 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 6, 7 and 12 of African Charter on Human Rights.
He also asked the court to grant an injunction restraining the police, its officers and agents from further arresting him, and for the police to pay damages to him.
The applicant also asked the court to direct the police to publish an apology letter in two national dailies and to help recover the N640,000 the police collected from him.
Salihu through his lawyer, Mr Ifeanyi Chukwu, had earlier told the court that the police failed to do proper investigation over the matter which led to his detention for 11 days in August, 2017.
In the charge sheet, the applicant told the court that he bought a Toyota Corolla car, 2009 model sometimes in December 2015 from one late John Ogbeche valued at N1.550 million.
The applicant said the vehicle was used as collateral to get a loan by one Mrs Priscilla Okoro from late Ogbeche.
He said after a long wait by late Ogbeche to recover the loan from Okoro, the woman could not pay back the loan.
Salihu said when Okoro could not pay back, the action prompted Ogbeche to sell the car based on the contractual agreement which he had with the woman.
The applicant said that the vehicle was sold to him and after using the car for few months, he decided to sell the car to one Mr Hassan Abdullahi in 2016.
He said he was surprised that in January 2017, he was invited to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Abuja in respect of the car.
Salihu said when he got to the FCID, he was asked to meet with a woman, Dr Olubunmi Lar, which the police claimed she was the original owner of the car.
He added that the woman then said she was the original owner of the car and that she gave Okoro the car to use for a period of time.
The applicant said that the woman told the police that she was not aware that Okoro used the car as collateral to secure loan.
Salihu said that he later gave the police the sum of N40, 000 to trace Okoro since they were already aware of where she was living.
He said after the police collected the N40,000, they did not do the work which the money was meant for, saying the car must be returned to the original owner.
He told the court that the police collected another N600,000 from him, insisting that he must pay N2 million to the original owner being the value for the car.
Justice Yusuf Halilu, however, adjourned the matter until February 15 for all parties to move their motions before the court.