Law Firm Seeks Court Order Against Police to Stop Harassment of Female Lawyer
A Lagos-based law firm has filed a lawsuit requesting the court to restrain the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, and a private individual, Gbenga Osho, from further harassing and intimidating a female lawyer, Bolanle Kikelomo Akande.
The legal practitioner, Bolanle Akande, from the law firm Bola Awo-Onidanla & Co., filed the case through her counsel, Barrister Kabir Akingbolu.
She is asking the court to declare that the police’s involvement in her harassment at the request of Gbenga Osho is illegal and unconstitutional, violating her fundamental rights to dignity, personal liberty, privacy, and freedom of movement as protected under the Nigerian Constitution.
In the suit, Akande also accuses the police of unlawfully laying siege to her law firm to conduct an illegal search without a warrant. She claims this action violates her constitutional rights to privacy and family life as guaranteed by Section 73 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
Akande is seeking damages of N10 million as compensation for the unlawful harassment and intimidation she allegedly experienced on September 19 and 20, 2024. Additionally, she has requested the court to compel the respondents to issue a public apology in two national newspapers.
The case’s background involves a property transaction in which the first respondent, Gbenga Osho, was a property vendor, while Akande’s client, Joseph Adelani Sodiya, was the buyer. The property in question is located at Block 8, Room 15, Sogunro LSDPC Housing Estate, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos.
The transaction reportedly became contentious, with Osho allegedly threatening both Akande’s client and her law firm.
Despite several attempts to resolve the matter, Osho allegedly resorted to harassing Akande and vandalizing her client’s property. On July 27, 2024, Akande discovered that her law office had been broken into, with several files, including documents related to the disputed property, missing. This incident was promptly reported to the police.
Although the police initially investigated the matter and invited Osho for questioning, Akande alleges that Osho subsequently began threatening her, claiming he had powerful connections within the police.
On September 19, 2024, Akande received a call from the SCID, Panti, summoning her for interrogation, which she attended. Despite being released without charges, Akande claims the harassment continued.
On September 21, police officers allegedly visited her office to conduct a search, refusing to present a warrant. Akande contends that the search was conducted unlawfully, and the repeated police actions have caused her embarrassment and disrupted her legal practice.
Akande asserts that her rights to privacy, liberty, and dignity have been severely violated by the police’s actions, which she believes are being orchestrated by Osho. She is seeking court intervention to stop the harassment and to restore her peace of mind as a respected legal practitioner with over 25 years of experience.
The case is currently before the court, with Akande urging the judiciary to halt the alleged unlawful actions by the police and prevent further violations of her fundamental rights.
