Briton demands N1bn from IG for alleged robbery
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- Category: Latest
- Published on Wednesday, 13 June 2012 11:51
- Written by Admin
A British national, Mr. Sayed Bukhari, has asked an Abuja Federal High Court to order the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to pay him N1bn as damages for the failure of the police authorities to investigate his complaint that two police
officers robbed him at the Millennium Park in Abuja on October 29, 2011.
In the suit dated May 25, 2012, and filed by his counsel, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, the plaintiff is also claiming the sum as examplary and aggravated damages for a press statement in which the Federal Capital Territory police command cast doubts on the complaint.
The Briton described the statement, credited to the Public Relations Officer of the FCT police command, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, on or about December 7, 2011, as “malicious and libelous.”
In the said statement, the FCT police command not only doubted Bukhari’s claims that the two police officers – Samuel Ekpah and Daniel Marcus – robbed him, but also insinuated that the plaintiff was of unsound mind.
The FCT police command, in the statement, wondered why the plaintiff was carrying about a huge sum of money on his person, and went ahead to accuse him of trying to embarrass the police.
Besides the N1bn he is asking for as damages, the plaintiff also asked the court to order the Inspector General of Police to pay him the sum of N1.5m being the combined value of the N200,000 cash and the N1.3m Breitling wrist watch the policemen allegedly collected from him.
Bukhari also asked the court to order the IGP to publish a public apology to him in three national dailies, for the statements credited to the PPRO of the FCT police command concerning his complaint.
He is also asking the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction restraining the IGP, his agents, servants, associates and privies from further publishing the “libelous statements” concerning him.
The Briton is also seeking “a declaration that the failure, omission, refusal and neglect” of the IGP and his officers to investigate the report he made to them concerning the robbery incident amounts to a tortuous breach of a statutory duty to investigate crime, to his detriment.
He therefore asked the court for an order of mandamus compelling the IGP to investigate the complaint, and make public the outcome of the said investigation.
Furthermore, he wants the court to declare that the statement issued by the FCT police command was malicious and defamatory.
