A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered
the Nigeria Police Force to pay a fine of N18 million for illegally selling off
three fuel tanker trailers belonging to three fuel tanker owners. Dauda Jibril,
Vwede Akpohonor and William Onos, had in 2007 sued the Inspector-General of
Police over the unlawful selling off their tanker trailers by the police during
the pendency of a suit.
Delivering judgment, Justice Gabriel Kolawole held
that the police were "reckless, fraudulent and dishonest with the shoddy and
shameful manner the vehicles of the plaintiffs were secretly disposed of."
Kolawole said that the vehicles were sold in spite
of a pending suit and dismissed the police claim that the trailers were
abandoned by alleged pipeline vandals while siphoning petroleum products in
Delta. He held that police acted in bad faith when the then trial judge,
Justice Babs Kuewumi, ordered that the vehicles be released on bonds to their
owners, but they defied the order.
The judge said that the police claim of obtaining an
Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court order authorising the sale was a nullity because
the court had been ceased of power to do so. The Magistrates’ Court, he said,
had struck out the criminal charge against the plaintiffs and discharged them
forthwith.
He said: "The unlawful and criminal sales of the
three fuel tankers belonging to the plaintiffs cannot be cured by order of the
magistrate court because it lacked power to issue such order. Worse still,
there is no cogent evidence by police to defeat the claims of the plaintiffs
who have proved their respective case against the first defendant (police) on
the illegal, unlawful and irregular sales of their vehicles."
The plaintiffs had, through their counsel, Mr Kamin
Asunogie, claimed N11.4 million as the cost of the vehicles as at the time they
were sold off. They had also claimed an additional N6 million as special
damages caused them by the action of police, which were both granted.
8 Comments
Good
ReplyDeleteThis is justice.
ReplyDeleteThis judge deserves an award.
ReplyDeleteThis is our dream
ReplyDeleteNo matter who is involved, let there be justice.
ReplyDeleteThey should pay fast or face the music.
ReplyDeleteThe way police treat the citizens needs to be look into seriously.
ReplyDeleteIt will hurt them but good for innocent citizens
ReplyDelete