A motorist, Adeolu Oyinlola, has been awarded the sum of N7 million as compensation against the Lagos State Government by a Lagos State High Court, over the seizure of his vehicle by the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (aka Task Force) for nearly four months.
Oyinlola’s driver, Sunday Emem, while behind the wheel on the service lane of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway on 14th August, 2021, was accosted by a policeman for allegedly driving in a direction prohibited by law (one way) when there was no indication on the road that it was unidirectional.
Oyinlola, who is the Executive Director of an NGO, Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI), alleged that his vehicle was impounded after he refused to part with the huge amount of money demanded by the Task Force policemen.
Emem was later charged before a mobile court on one count of driving in a direction prohibited by law, before Magistrate LKJ Layeni, who, four or so months after the trial commenced (after he had dismissed Oyinlola’s lawyer’s No-Case-Submission and ruled that Emem enter his defence), delivered judgement on 25th November, 2021; discharged and acquitted Emem of the charge, and ordered the release of the vehicle, following a visit to the locus in quo by the magistrate, whereupon he found that a traffic sign indicating a unidirectional road had been erected after the arrest of Emem and Oyinlola, as evidenced by a fresh cement base, indicating at the time that it was recently placed.
Oyinlola subsequently wrote to the Lagos State Governor and the Attorney-General of Lagos State, demanding the sum of N10 million as compensation for unlawful arrest and prosecution in the absence of appropriate signage, as well as for patent bad faith on the part of the Task Force Police personnel, but his demand was ignored.
Similarly ignored was his demand for the prosecution of the two Task Force Police personnel who, as prosecution witnesses, swore on oath during the Mobile Court trial that there was a traffic sign in place at the time of interception, for perjury; when they knew full well that there was not. The car owner said he was left with no other option than to approach the High Court of Lagos State for intervention as far as compensation was concerned when the Lagos State Director of Civil Litigation proposed a compensation of N500,000.
In the judgement delivererd on April 14, 2026 against the Governor of Lagos State and the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Hon. Justice K. O. Alogba agreed that the 1st Claimant was maliciously prosecuted by the Defendants.
“The evidence before this Court revealed that the Learned Trial Magistrate visited the locus in quo and discovered that the “Do Not Enter” sign relied upon by the arresting officers was not in existence at the time of arrest.
“The absence of reasonable and probable cause is in itself sufficient evidence of malice and as argued by the Learned Counsel for the Claimants, tampering with evidence by erecting a new sign on the said road after arrest was, indeed, evidence of malice.
“In the final analysis, the Claimants’ claims succeed. Accordingly, judgement is entered as follows:
1) I hereby declare that the detainment of the Claimants’ Toyota Corolla with registration number LND 896 ET and the prosecution of the 1st Claimant for the offence of driving in a direction prohibited by Law is unlawful.
2) The Defendants are ordered to pay to the Claimants the sum of five million Naira (N5,000,000.00) as general damages.
3) The Defendants are also ordered to pay to the Claimants the sum of two million Naira (N2,000,000.00) as exemplary damages.”
An elated Oyinlola said: “It took all of four months to prove before a Magistrate that in the absence of appropriate signage, there isn’t an offence, and a further fifty four months to extract compensation that didn’t cover my cost of litigation, but a point was proved”.
