The Bajulaiye family of Lagos has filed an action before the High Court of Lagos State against the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command over Police invasion of their family building located at No. 8, Agoro Odiyan Street, Off Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The family said that the property is being taken over forcefully by their erstwhile tenant, Mr Isaac Anumudu, and a company named Crown Star Limited.

The plaintiffs are seeking to court intervention to recover possession of the building.

In the suit numbered LD/6160MFHR/2017 filed on November 29, this year, Mrs. Cecelia Iyabo Bajulaiye is leading the other children of late Mr. C.O. Bajulaiye, the owner of the said building, to challenge Anumudu and Crown Star Limited over the strange claim to ownership of the building in which their tenancy has since expired. Named as respondents in the suit are the IGP, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the Assistant Inspector General in charge of Zone 2 command, the Commissioner of Police Lagos Command, Deputy Commissioner of Police Bolaji Salami and three other police officers.

In the suit filed on their behalf by human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, the Bajulaiye family is claiming a declaration that the alleged invasion of their family building by the Police at the instigation of Anumudu and Crown Star Limited is illegal. The family also seek a declaration that the statutory duties of the Police do not extend to or cover the resolution of landlord and tenant cases in which judgment has already been delivered in favour of the landlord and an order directing the Police to forthwith vacate the building.

The applicants claimed that they are the beneficiaries of the building and land at No.8, Agoro Odiyan Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, which was owned by Mr. C. O. Bajulaiye, their father, in his lifetime. They said that Mr Bajulaiye entered into a three-year lease agreement in 2002 with Crown Star Limited, a company in which Anumudu claims interest, for N2.5 million only.e

At the expiration of the lease, the Bajulaiye family further stated, requisite quit notices were issued but Anumudu and Crown Star Limited failed to vacate the building, whereupon a case was filed in court in Suit No. MCL/333/2013, and judgment was delivered on May 8, 2017, after a protracted litigation, delivering possession of the building to the family, which judgment was promptly executed. According to the palinfiffs, Anumudu and Crown Star filed an appeal against the said judgment and have been holding on to the property, allegedly with the aid of the Police from Abuja and Lagos, arresting and detaining members of the Bajulaye family and their agents at SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) for alleged armed robbery. The Bajulaiye family said that Anumudu and Crown Star Limited claimed that they had spent money for the alleged renovation of the property, for which they expect the Bajulaiye family to sell same to them.

The suit is yet to be assigned to any court for hearing.

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