A subscriber to MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, Chidi Johnson, has slammed a N250 million suit on the telecommunications company before the Federal High Court, Lagos, over his alleged harassment, arrest and illegal detention without a reasonable cause.
Johnson is claiming the sum as compensation for the public harassment, inconvenience and loss of business he suffered as a result of his arrest and detention by the police which was allegedly instigated by MTN.
According to the claimant, in a 30-paragraph affidavit he personally deposed to and filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Onu Uche, his arrest and detention was instigated by the telecommunications firm on July 17, 2018 when he visited the defendant’s Call Centre at No 60, Akowonjo Road, Egbeda, Lagos to retrieve his lost MTN line.
He averred that a female customer care representative of the defendant, Ms Monica Umukoro, instead of taking his complaints as was being done with people who had earlier been attended to, directed him to take a seat at the back of the office.
Johnson also stated that he was, thereafter, surrounded by the defendant’s security offlcials who in the company of Ms. Umukoro, informed him that his picture in the defendant’s computer system bore an all four resemblance to one of the defendant’s subscribers whom the defendant had been staking on its watch list to apprehend.
The claimant further alleged that he was, thereafter, led to the security post of a commercial bank near the call centre, where he was detained for several hours, before he was handed over to officers of Gowon Estate Divisional Police Station.
He stated that at the police station, he was harassed, abused, demeaned and detained till the next day without food, medical care and reasonable cause, and was later asked to make a statement.
The claimant further maintained that after investigation was conducted by the police, it was discovered that the picture on the defendant’s computer system was not his but that of some other person that purportedly bore an all four resemblance to him.
He claimed that he was then reluctantly released on bail to one Akajiaku, who acted as his surety.
Johnson also stated that after his release, he wrote a petition against the defendant through his lawyer to the Human Rights Department of the Lagos State Police Command but due to the inconclusive investigation, his solicitors caused a letter of demand to be written to MTN.
But MTN in its reply absolved itself completely from the incident of his unlawful arrest, detention and harassment which was instigated by it.
The claimant is, therefore, seeking a declaration that his arrest, detention and public harassment by the police instigated by Ms. Umukoro, an employee of MTN, is illegal, unlawful, wrongful, and amounts to an infringement of his right to personal liberty.
He is also asking the court for a declaration that his arrest and detention was wrong and amounts to False Imprisonment as well an an order mandating MTN to render an unreserved public apology to him in, at least, two national newspapers.
MTN is yet to file a defence to the suit, which is yet to be assigned to a judge, but in its letter to the claimant, the company stated that it has a civil duty to report the suspicion of a crime to law enforcement agencies.
