.jpeg)
By Okechukwu Onuegbu
The Chief Executive Officer, Blue Shield Security Company Limited, Ọzọ Jeff Nweke has claimed ₦28.7m damages against the Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr Aderemi Adeoye and two others for allegedly intimidating, trespassing and damaging his property situated at Four Ways Court Estate, Awka.
Jeff, in a suit no. A/401/2023 Awka High Court, whose writ of summons was made available to newsmen on Sunday, alleged that Adeoye who is third defendant, carried out the acts through his officers, Inspector Monday Umana and DCP Akin Fakorede, who are first and second defendants.
According to him, the acts which were carried out on 27 and 28 September 2023 at the Estate where he owned a property, also included intimidation and arrest of his security officers (Blue Shield security) stationed by Ezinano community of Awka to secure the land against intruders.
The plaintiff statement of claims avers that " the deployed men of the Blue Shield Security were entrusted with physical providing security within the land. The plaintiff avers that on 27th day of September, 2023, the 2nd and 3rd defendants through their agents who were led by the 1st defendant forced themselves into the duty post of the men of the Blue Shield at the Four Ways Court Estate and without provocation arrested some of their men.
"They were detained at the State CID, Awka between the hours of 10am and 7pm when they were eventually released upon intervention by well meaning Nigerians while all their arms which were registered earlier by the police were seized and have not been released to them till date. The plaintiff avers further that since the 28th day of September, 2023 the men of the 3rd defendant have been entering the land with bulldozer while the other side to the land dispute are being protected and given cover by the said men of the 2nd and 3rd defendants while they bulldoze the land and destroy whatever the men of the Blue Shield were protecting."
The plaintiff claimed that he suffered ₦18,700,000 damages as his working equipment such as welding machines, trailer load of 1,800 bags of cements, 60 doors and bulldozers were tempered with, and ₦10,000,000 as general damages for forcefully entering into the property by the defendants.
He also sought a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves or acting in concert with other persons or through agents from further trespassing in the parcel of land at Four ways court estate, even as the writ mandated the defendants to enter appearance through legal practitioner before the court within forty-two days or judgement could be obtained in their absence.
But when contacted, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, said the force had no knowledge of the summon.