A beautician, Lilian Graham has dragged the Nigerian Police and a German national, Stephan Uckrow before a Lagos High Court sitting in Epe for alleged unlawful arrest, detention and harassment over a botched business partnership agreement.

Listed in the suit as defendants are Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2; Officer in Charge of D19 Section 2; Investigating Police Officer, Inspector Muritala, D19 Section Zone 2 and Mr Uckrow.

In the processes filed before the court, Miss Graham who is also an organic skincare product manufacturer, alleged that Uckrow has been using the police to intimidate, arrest and harass her over a purely business partnership deal.

Miss Graham claimed that sometime last year, she met Uckrow and after getting to know themselves, Uckrow agreed to invest about N50million in her company representing about 35 per cent shares partnership.

According to Graham, Uckrow was to facilitate cost for the product registration and oversee distribution while she focuses on producing the Ginger Healthcare product.

The applicant maintained that as part of effort to fulfill her own obligations in the business partnership, she applied for NAFDAC registration of the new products, bought some of the machines for production, and produced some products for the purpose of inspection by the NAFDAC officials.

She, however averred that along the line, Uckrow who was yet to fully fulfill his N50 million investment commitment, started using the police officers at Zone 2, Onikan Lagos to harass and intimidate her for the alleged offences of obtaining under false pretense, stealing and threat to life.

The applicant further averred that despite honouring police invitation and tendering all relevant documents relating to the business partnership, the police has continued to harass her with repeated invitations and threats to revoke her administrative bail.

The applicant who claims that she has developed serious health issues over the police harassment is asking the court to among other things , restrain the police from further intimidating, harrasing or arresting her over an issue which is clearly a civil matter.

She is also asking for N15million as damages for the psychological trauma and health issues she has suffered over the police arrest and harrassment.

The police and Uckrow are yet file a response to suit and no date has been fixed for the hearing of the fundamental human rights enforcement suit. (Vanguard)

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