Businessman accuses Kwara police of defying court orders, detaining agent over land dispute

An Ilorin-based businessman, Victor Dada, has accused the Kwara State Police Command of interfering in a land dispute already before the courts and unlawfully detaining his agent, Alhaji Muhammed Abdulraheem, popularly known as Allahu Lateef.

Dada made the allegation on Friday in Ilorin while addressing journalists at a press conference convened to protest what he described as the unlawful conduct of the police command, particularly the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

The businessman said the dispute had generated multiple court proceedings and that he had drawn the attention of the police authorities to the judicial processes surrounding the matter before the latest development.

He said he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Rilwan Disu, against the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, alleging that the command had intervened in what he described as a civil dispute over ownership of land.

Dada said he had also submitted relevant documents to the command, including records from a fundamental human rights case before the Federal High Court and a criminal matter pending before the High Court of Justice in Ilorin.

“I have presented all the relevant documents and evidence to the police, including the proceedings before the Federal High Court and the criminal charge pending before the High Court of Justice in Ilorin,” he said.

Dada also referred to an earlier judgment in Suit No. KWS/142/2024, which he said was delivered in his favour, claiming that subsequent court pronouncements had upheld the decision concerning the disputed property.

“There are several court rulings affirming the judgment in Suit No. KWS/142/2024, which awarded the disputed land in my favour,” he claimed.

According to him, the existence of the court proceedings made the alleged police intervention troubling, as he maintained that issues concerning ownership and possession of the property should be determined by the courts.

Dada alleged that despite the ongoing judicial processes, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State CID ordered the detention of his agent, Abdulraheem.

He further alleged that the police intended to arraign Abdulraheem before a court to obtain a remand order.

“The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State CID ordered the detention of my agent, Alhaji Muhammed Abdulraheem, with the intention of taking him before a court to obtain a remand order,” he said.

Dada also alleged that the police were searching for him in connection with the matter, although he did not provide details about the alleged attempt to arrest him.

He said he was currently on medication and expressed concern about the alleged police action and its implications for his wellbeing and ability to pursue the matter through legal channels.

The businessman appealed to the public to pay attention to the development, urging journalists, social media commentators and other members of the public to scrutinise the actions of the police command.

Dada specifically called on social media commentator, VeryDarkMan, to take an interest in the matter, saying he believed public attention could help ensure that the issues surrounding the dispute were properly examined.

“My concern is not to undermine the judiciary or lawful law-enforcement processes, but to draw attention to what I consider improper police involvement in a matter that should be determined by the courts,” he said.

Dada said he remained confident in the Kwara State judiciary and would continue to pursue the matter through lawful means.

He stressed that his objection was to what he described as police interference in a dispute already subject to judicial consideration.

He urged relevant authorities to examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged detention of his agent and ensure that the police did not overstep their powers in handling disputes before the courts.

Meanwhile, efforts to obtain the reaction of the Kwara State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to its spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, had not been responded to as of press time.