Joy Anyim
The Elegushi Royal family in Lagos, has urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu to allow justice to prevail on a land dispute between the royal family and a property development company, Bela Vista Property and Development company
While the family had accused the IGP of bias and meddling in the said dispute through the Special Tactical Squad led by Kolo Yusuf, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), it said the police unit had on different occasion assaulted and harassed members of the family despite a pending suit.
According to a petition by the counsel to the royal family, Bamdele Omotayo & Co, signed by Adeparusi Omotayo, Bela Vista Property and Development company which is owned and promoted by Mr O.K. Belo was appointed as an agent on part of the Royal family land at Ikate Elegushi by the Power of Attorney issued to this effect.
Omotayo stated that the royal family and their agent Bella Vista on the same part have been involved in a land dispute against Itedo Community of the other part. Which suit the Court decided in favour of Elegushi Royal Family & their agent Bella Vista.
The council said: “ Elegushi Royal Family ownership of all land known as Ikate Land which includes Ebute Ikate, Gbara, Igbokusu, Iroko Awe, Orile Ilasan, Itedo, Alajapa Olube, Ologolo, Aro all in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos is confirmed by various courts up to the supreme court.
“ The dispute which arose on the land covered by the power of Attorney between Bela Vista & the Royal family is already subject of litigation both at the High Court & the Court of Appeal in Lagos. These cases are over two decades. The contest took a twist at the instance of the IGP who is a friend to Mr Belo the Managing Director of Bela Vista Property and Development company.
” Legal documents show how Mr Belo had used his relationship with the Inspector General of Police Adamu to continuously harass, embarrass, detain and prosecute some members of the Elegushi Family in a land matter which is sub judice, already in court. An act which is prejudicial to the proceedings in court hence, contemptuous of judicial procedure.
“ During one of the many untold hardships, men of the Nigeria Police Force acting on the instruction of the IGP made some members of the Elegushi family report to Abuja regularly for a phantom reconciliatory meeting, Chief Muritala Adedoyin Elegushi a senior member of the Royal family developed an illness on one of such meetings at the Force Headquarters in Abuja in January 2020 and died in May 2020. ”
The council held that the police persisted in the harassment, despite an investigative report submitted in 2018 to the IGP through a Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Sabo Umar which stated that land dispute is not a matter the police should adjudicate on.
According to Omotayo, the report states: “It is common knowledge that the police cannot deal comprehensively on the land dispute; be it legal or equitable but as a constituted authority, Police own a duty to ensure that ownership of land amongst others does not resort to breach of societal peace and hence the prompt action placed on this investigation.”
She added: “ Unsatisfied with the report, Mr Belo rode on his friendship with Mr Adamu the Inspector General to produce a doctored investigative report authored on the strength of this forged document a unit of mobile policemen consisting of 60 personnel from Mopol 49 were stationed on the land.
“ These policemen harass, Intimidate, embarrass, oppress members the royal family & passersby. This is not withstanding another report by the office of the Legal department, Zone 2 Police Headquarters that the mobile policemen stationed on the land in support of Bella Vista be withdrawn.
“ Yet not satisfied the IGP detailed & deployed DCP Kolo Yusuf, DSP Ibrahim Agu and his team in IGP Special Tactical Squad in Abuja to further harass intimidate embarrass HRM Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi on a non existent law of ‘Threat to Life’ of Bella Vista Company limited. ”
It was also learnt that on the strength of the alleged threat, DCP Yusuf and his men mounted a manhunt for three days to attempts to arrest His Royal Majesty, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi and other Principal members of the family on many occasions.
This made the legal counsel to the Elegushi family seek a judicial redress to enforce the fundamental human rights of the King and his family members in suit LD / 10844 /MFHR /2020: HRM KABIYESI ALAYELUWA OBA SAHEED ADEMOLA ELEGUSHI AND OTHERS VS BELLA VISTA, THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, DCP KOLO YUSUF AND OTHERS.
Although the information has it that DCP Yusuf has been evading service by the legal representative of the Elegushi family, the council said: ” A substitution service through a national newspaper has been served. In the document, a piece of legal advice dated January 14, 2021, stated that the police should suspend all actions and investigations pending the determination of the fundamental human rights suit in the Lagos High Court.”
