By Peter Anosike
Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos State, has awarded the sum of N3m in damages against the Nigeria Police and a Chinese business woman for harassment, intimidation and conversion of a civil matter into a criminal one and abuse of police powers.
The court presided over by Hon. Justice Alagoa, delivered the judgment against the parties in a fundamental right action brought against them by Mrs Elendu, the applicant in the matter.
Mrs Elendu said the Chinese woman known as Liza, had supplied defective products to her and her husband which they found difficult to sell in the market. That later, the Chinese woman turned around to use the police to force them to pay for the products that were totally bad and impossible to sell.
She said that the matter which was considered to be a civil action was, however, converted to a criminal one with the aid of the police by Ms Liza.
According to her, she had approached the court through her lawyer, Joe Nwokedi, for the breach of her fundamental rights and abuse of police powers.
“The court after listening to the argument of Joe Nwokedi who appeared with Francis Atueyi, ruled in our favour and awarded the cost of N3m against the respondents jointly and severally for the abuse of our fundamental rights and conversion of a civil matter to a criminal matter,” Mrs Elendu said.