Lagos State High Court, sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) on Thursday barred the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) from arresting Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom in Lagos, Oba Shaheed Ademola Elegushi, and two others.
Justice Gafar Safari ruled that the order subsists pending the hearing and determination of a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by them.
He gave the ruling following a lawsuit filed by the monarch and two members of Elegushi royal family – Chief Abdulahi Elegushi and Prince Akeem Elegushi in which the IGP, Bela Vista Property and Development Company Ltd; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kolo Yusuf; DSP Ibrahim Agu; one Supol Udofia and Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice were accused of harassment, manhunt and attempting to arrest them over a civil land matter.
The respondents were accused of plotting to grab lands belonging to the family at Eti-Osa Local Government Area (LGA) and resorting to self-help, including detailing mobile policemen from Mopol 46 to the land with instruction to arrest any member of Elegushi royal family found anywhere on or near the land.
The IGP was also accused of forging a police report that was presented to the court ceding ownership of their land to Bela Vista property.
However, after the monarch and his co-applicants, through their lawyer, Mrs. Adepeju Omotayo informed the judge that the police had sent its men to Ikate seeking to arrest them to frustrate the case before the court.
The IGP’s counsel, Anthony Osara denied that the police had sent its men to arrest the applicants.
The counsel to the second to fifth respondents, Victor Okoye, also urged the court to discountenance the applicants’ request for a restraining order, adding that the police were never deployed to the house of the royal family to arrest anybody.
In a bench ruling, Justice Safari ordered all the parties to maintain status quo and refrain from doing anything to frustrate the proceedings pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
He adjourned till August 17, for hearing.
