Nigeria's Ecobank Ceo slams 100 mln naira suit against Police over harrasement

Kie, Ecobank CEO

The chief executive officer of Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Charles Kie, has filed a 100 million suit against the Nigerian police for harassing him over his refusal to conduct an illegal transaction on its behalf.
Kie, who was seeking the protection of the Federal High court in Lagos to enforce his fundamental rights, said he now lives under the fear of police intimidation and harassment.
According to the Ecobank CEO lawyer, Anthony Idigbe, Kie claimed that the police had been stalking him, with the aim of forcing Ecobank to “illegally” transfer $10.5 million from the account of one of its customers to a third party.
In the suit, the plaintiff said some policemen had invaded the headquarters of the bank on September 28, seeking to arrest him “on the grounds that he refused to comply with their instruction to illegally transfer the sum of $10.500,000 from a customer’s account to a third party account.”
In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Muslim Hassan ordered that status quo should be maintained pending the final determination of Kie’s N100m suit against the police.
The judge said the police should be put on notice and adjourned hearing in the case till November 9.
In the suit, which he filed through his lawyer, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), Kie claimed that the police had been stalking him, with the aim of forcing Ecobank to “illegally” transfer $10.5m from the account of one of its customers to a third party.
He said some policemen on September 28 besieged the Corporate Headquarters of Ecobank on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, seeking to arrest him “on the grounds that he refused to comply with their instruction to illegally transfer the sum of $10.50 million from a customer’s account to a third party account.”
He accused the policemen of bribing some security personnel stationed at the entrance of his office, asking them to disclose his movement and residential address to them.
He said the “damaging scene” caused by the Police at the headquarter's of the bank during its invasion disrupted the bank's business activities.

He said he had since been living under the fear of police intimidation and harassment, which he said had in turn been taking its toll on Ecobank’s daily business activities where he has the responsibility of making key decisions daily.

He sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the police from “harassing, oppressing, detaining, arresting and/or intimidating the applicants or their officers or interfering, in any way, with the personal liberty of the applicants or the smooth running of their business in any manner whatsoever that will breach the fundamental rights of the applicants.”

In his ruling, Justice Hassan ordered the parties to maintain status quo while he adjourned till November 9, to hear the main suit.

Joined as respondents in the suit were the Inspector-General of Police; the Lagos State Commissioner of Police; DCP Bolaji Salami; and one Akin Jegede.