A Lagos High Court has barred the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) from arresting the monarch of Ikate Kingdom, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi and two others over land dispute.
Justice Gafar Safari ruled that the order subsists until the hearing and determination of a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by them.
The judge gave the order in a suit by the monarch and two members of the Elegushi royal family, Chief Abdulahi Elegushi and Prince Akeem Elegushi accusing the defendants of harassment, manhunt and an attempt to arrest them over a civil land matter.
Joined in the suit are the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kolo Yusuf; the IGP; Bela Vista Property and Development Company Ltd; DSP Ibrahim Agu; one Supol Udofia and the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
The royal family also accused the respondents of plotting to grab land belonging to the Elegushi family in Eti-Osa Local Government Area.
The applicants further allege that while the suit is pending, the defendants resorted to self-help including assigning Mobile policemen to the land with the instruction to arrest any member of Elegushi royal family found anywhere near the property.
They also accused the IGP of forging a police report that was presented to the court ceding ownership of the family land to Bela Vista.
Speaking on behalf of the Elegushi family, on the resumed hearing on Thursday, the monarch and his co-applicants, their lawyer, Adepeju Omotayo told the judge that the police had sent men to Ikate seeking to arrest them in order to frustrate the court case.
The first respondent’s counsel, Anthony Osara however, denied denied that the police sent its men to arrest the applicants.
Justice Safari on his part, in a bench ruling, ordered all parties to maintain status quo and desist from doing anything to frustrate the proceedings pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
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