The National Human Rights Commission has been petitioned by a Lagos-based hotelier, Mr Ayobami Moses Idowu over allegation of unlawful invasion, destruction of his property and alleged theft of his gold necklace worth fifty million naira by men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
Idowu's petition was written by his counsel, Complete Solicitors and Advocates, a legal firm based in Ibeju Lekki area Lagos State, and it was titled; "unlawful invasion of the residence and place of business of Mr Ayobami Moses Idowu, by men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) led by ACN Adekunle Oduola in violation of our client's constitutional rights."
In the petition, which was signed by Chief Mutairu Aliu, the lawyers appealed to the commission to ensure justice for their client.
"We are solicitors whose service was retained by Mr Ayobami Moses Idowu hereinafter referred to as our client and it is upon his instruction and behest we write," the petition read.
The lawyers asserted that their client is a law abiding Nigerian, an employer of labour, a caring husband and a role model for hundreds of youths in Ijaye Ojokoro area of the state, where he lives and that he has been doing his business for over a decade now.
They added that he is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of D&G Motor Dealer Enterprises Limited and D& G Hotel, Event and Suites, where many Nigerian youths and adults work and earn their living and that the hotel is one of the best in the area, stressing that tourists make use of the hotel facilities, and that same goes for his ever flourishing vehicle showroom.
It was also disclosed that the hotelier, despite not having any dark business record, has remained the soft target of a team of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) currently led by ACN Adekunle Oduola, who took over the leadership of the team and continued from where the previous ones stopped, "using invasion and threat thereof to coerce members of the public, including our client, to give out money or money worth items, failure of which they will descend on such persons and/ their businesses in the guise of carrying out search for drugs and destabilize or seal up such businesses until their demands are met."
The petitioners disclosed that the "hotelier had been arrested twice by men and officers of the NDLEA without any incriminating substance found on him, even when he was taken to their Lagos office, where he was made to report daily for over two weeks, when his three vehicles earlier impounded and his telephones were released to him."
It was gathered that prior to the last invasion of the private house of the hotelier, ACN Adekunle Oduola had informed him of the implications of invading the hotel, which was ignored by the hotelier since he is not involved in any shady deal.
Continuing, they said; "prior to the recent invasion on the February 29, our client got a call from ACN Adekunle Oduola, who again allegedly requested for money "with a threat that failure to comply would lead to the invasion of our client's hotel, his house and any other places he has business interests, an ultimatum within which to act, our client disagreed, he was unwilling to part with any sum because he is sure of his business, but with strong persuasion from his friend, a fellow hotelier, who knows too well the havoc such invasion could wreck on our client's business advised him to comply with their demand and the sum of two million naira (#2,000,000) was sent to an account provided, bearing the name of one Samuel Oluseye Olasupo, a member of the team."
It was further said that at about 12.07 am on Thursday 29th February 2024, the hotelier's premises on Yusuf Street in Ojokoro area was invaded by over 40 men of the agency in the middle of the night, where his compound was broken into and his security door damaged by the rampaging NDLEA officers, without a proper search warrant served him or any form of invitation extended to him officially.
According to the letter "at about 12.07am on the night of 29th February 2024, the home of our client, the above stated address, was bugged into in a brigando manner by men of NDLEA, numbering over 40 many of who were in plain clothes carrying arms in private vehicles, while our client and the whole family were away to their newly rented apartment in Sango Otta, Ogun State, where they now reside, due to the incessant harassment from ACN Adekunle Oduola and his team.
"Though, he still left many of his valuables (which include his gold chain of 680.1 GRM) in the house due to the heavy security arrangement in the house, the whole of the house was ransacked by these men and in the process all the doors were broken down and left unlocked and they left without any record of any incriminating exhibits against our client."
It was stated that having failed to discover any incriminating evidence against the hotelier, the rampaging NDLEA men mobilized and invaded his hotel on Clem Road, Ijaiye Ojokoro, shooting to the sky sporadically, leaving everybody in serious chaos.
"They broke into every room in the hotel, whereby customers who had lodged in the hotel were sent packing as the room doors were broken into with impunity, while all the apartments ransacked at great discomfort to the guests and that despite the search, nothing incriminating was found in any of the rooms, while all the unlawful activities were captured by the CCTV in the hotel.
"When our client came back the following morning, he met all the doors to his house unlocked and upon search, he discovered his golden neck chain worth over fifty million naira (#50,000,000) has been carted away among many other valuable items such as phones,wrist watches etc."
Moreover, the law firm maintained that from the invasion of his hotel, their client lost most of his regular customers, who fled after the invasion and has suffered greatly and that the hotel has lost its proud reputation and that since that day, the hotel that used to be flooded with guests has become deserted, making it extreme difficult for the hotel to meet up business projections, while it has become impossible to meet financial obligations to the banks, where loans were obtained to construct the edifice.
Furthermore "our client is a business man with a clean business record, the continous arrest and invasion of both his house and his business premises for no just cause has a strong capability to cripple his business and run him out of business with likely effect of over 30 employers losing their jobs. We therefore call upon you to use your good office to redress these catalogue of wrongs."
The lawyers however called on the human rights commission to come to the aid of their clients by taking steps to redress the injustice meted on the hotelier and his business empire.
"We therefore call on you with utmost respect to use your good office to investigate and protect the fundamental human rights and liberty of our client's from these greedy men, who are the instrumentality of the government to torment Nigerians, including our client."
Copies of the petition were sent to the Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), member representing Ifako Ijaye Federal Constituency, Hon Benjamin Adeyemi Olabinjo and the Commander of the Lagos Office of the NDLEA.
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