Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Inspect General of Police-Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has arrested an Anambra State based Businessman, Mr. Ifediba Umejidike for allegedly hijacking and stealing court exhibits.
Umejidike was arrested in his hideout in Owerri, Imo State, his arrest followed a Committal Order made by the Federal High Court, Enugu who ordered for his arrest and committed to the prison.
The counsel to the German Company Mr. Amala Umeike said the suspect jumped from the top floor in a bid to evade arrest before the IRT team rounded him up and arrested him saying that the suspect has been handed over to the officials of the Federal High Court Enugu in line with the Court Order for committal to Enugu Prison.
He said that since the Order for his arrest was made in December, Umejidike fled his house and went into hiding in various States and this led to a 5-month manhunt for him by the security agents.
Justice R. O. Dugbo-Oghoghorie of the Federal High Court, Enugu had on December 3, 2019, issued an order for Police or DSS to arrest Umejidike and hand him over to the Court Sheriff for committal to Enugu Prison until he returns the STIHL Court exhibits which he diverted, or pays the monetary value.
Umejidike has been accused of `being a trade mark troll by unlawfully registered a company in Nigeria with the famous STIHL trade mark belonging to Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG, a German company that manufactures Stihl range of power products. He reportedly refused to change the infringing company name despite a directive of the Corporate Affairs Commission to do so.
It was reported that Umejidike obtained an Anton Piller Order from the Federal High Court, Enugu presided over by Justice R. O. Dugbo-Oghoghorie by presenting misleading facts to the Court with these unlawful registration documents . The Anton Piller Order was executed in Lagos at the premises of C. Woermann Nig. Ltd who is the sole distributor of STIHL products in Nigeria.
Umejidike afterwards reportedly hijacked and diverted two trucks load of STIHL products which were to be delivered to the Federal High Court, Enugu as Court exhibits to his house at Ezinifite, Anambra state. He also refused to return some of the products said to have worth N30,948,099.95 to the Court even when the Court bailiffs came to his house in Anambra State to recover the products.
Angered by the development, Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG and C. Woermann Nig. Ltd, initiated contempt proceedings against Umejidike at the Federal High Court, Enugu which led to the Committal Order by the Court on December 3, 2019.