Court has barred police from arresting the leader of the Academy of Islamic Propagation (ACADIP), Yusuf Adepoju and another cleric, Mudathir Kewudirorun.
An Osun State High Court has granted an injunction barring the office of the Nigerian Inspector General of Police and other security operatives from arresting the leader of the Academy of Islamic Propagation (ACADIP), an Islamic institute that engages in comparative religious studies.
The interim order dated November 22, 2021, is pursuant to an application filed at the court by the counsel to the clerics, AbdulFatai AbdulSalam.
The matter with suit number; HOS/M.157/2021, is between Mallam Yusuf Adepoju and Mallam Mudathir Kewudirorun as applicants versus the IGP, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Commissioner of Police, Police Special Fraud Department (FCIID), Abuja; Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Force Criminal Investigation (FCID), Thair Usman, as defendants.
According to the ruling, the court said the applicant had sought “an order of Interim Injunction restraining the Respondents. It also restrains the officers under them and anyone acting through them from arresting, harassing, detaining the applicants or invading the applicants’ residences or wherever the applicants may be outside their residences pending the hearing of the application.
The restraint order will last until the hearing of the case of Fundamental Rights Enforcement already filed in the court and for further order as the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.
The judge, A. O Oyebiyi, while granting the application, noted that having painstakingly considered the application, the affidavit in support and the written address of counsel, “I am of the view that the application is meritorious. Same is hereby granted as prayed.”
How Police Invaded Adepoju’s House
Mr Adepoju alleged that operatives of the Nigerian police had in a Gestapo-like manner ‘swooped’ on his home in Ilobu, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State, at about 3 a.m on November 16 to arrest him.
According to the cleric, he was not at home when the invasion occurred, but his family members were subjected to tortuous experiences in the dead of night.
Earlier in a statement issued on the matter by one of the cleric’s counsels, Kabir Akingbolu, a principal partner of Salawu, Akingbolu & company, had narrated the ordeal of Mr Adepoju, noting that there was no basis for such an alleged threatening approach by the Police.
Mr Akingbolu wrote, “Like a thief in the night, on Tuesday, 16th, November 2021, the house of this Islamic scholar was besieged by people suspected to be either from The Nigerian Police or DSS around 3 am. Although Adepoju was lucky not to be around when the ‘visitors came, he obviously got the message the hard way through the emotional torture inflicted on his family members.
“A few hours later, precisely around 5 p.m, when Mallam Yusuf thought the siege was over, the visitors returned, this time in a military commando manner, armed with a letter of invitation from the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Police Special Fraud Unit (FCIID), Abuja.
“In the letter of invitation, it was stated that the office was investigating an alleged case of Defamation of Character/Character Assassination, where Mallam Yusuf was allegedly featured.”
According to the attorney, the letter which was dated 16th of November and signed by one Tahir Usman, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, had also read in part; “In the light of the above, you are requested for an interview with the Deputy Inspector General of Police through the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Area 10, Garki, Abuja on 24th November, 2021 at 1100hrs for clarification on the alleged case.”
But Mr Adepoju said he was unaware of any case of defamation involving him and anyone and wondered what could have informed the “hide and seek” being played by the police to arrest him when he had never been invited for any of such cases before now.”
