FCDA eviction squad vandalises judge’s property

A neighbour, Musa, said the squad members arrived the apartment in a white bus with registration number CT 520 AII at 2 pm and went straight to business without showing any legal paper to back up their action or explaining their mission to the judge’s family. One of Judge Abdul A. Bello’s relatives, Aliya Ibrahim, […]

A neighbour, Musa, said the squad members arrived the apartment in a white bus with registration number CT 520 AII at 2 pm and went straight to business without showing any legal paper to back up their action or explaining their mission to the judge’s family.

One of Judge Abdul A. Bello’s relatives, Aliya Ibrahim, who is 10-year-old, said she heard a loud bang at their parlour door and told members of the squad that the judge was out, while his wife was sleeping at the bedroom.

“The next thing was that they forced their way into the apartment while one of the hefty persons held me by the throat and flung me to the ground with the baby I tied at my back,” she cried.

The judge’s wife, Mrs Bello said she was sleeping when suddenly she was awakening by voices inside the bedroom.

“I was scared at seeing threatening faces in my bedroom and the next thing was that they started throwing off our belongings from the parlour, bedrooms and kitchen,” she lamented.

According to her, the squad members used heavy objects to vandalize the entire apartment, removing the doors, mosquito nets and disconnecting the fans.

A neighbour of the judge who was in the residence lamented that the suspected thugs did not even have respect for the Holy Qur’an and Islamic inscriptions placed on the wall of the apartment.

The neighbour said the Holy Qur’an was thrown into a dustbin while the inscriptions were scattered all over the floor.

Commenting on the incident, Judge Bello said he was inside the Mosque when he felt his handsets vibrating at 2 pm inside his pocket.

“After prayers, I called the number and my 10-year-old son was crying and at the same time telling me that some policemen and hefty people were inside our apartment throwing all my belongings out,” the judge stated.

The judge said after getting the report, he along with his colleague Magistrate Attahiru Akali rushed to his apartment, where he sought to know from the squad members whether they were not aware of an on going court hearing on the matter and whether the eviction ad-hoc committee’s legal section was aware of their action.

He said the squad members insulted everybody and later left with a warning to return back when they saw the magistrate reaching out to the police.

The judge said he reported the incident at the Garki Police Station, while the Investigating Officer, David, said he has given the judge his phone number for easy contact incase the squad members return. One of the judge’s lawyers, Barrister Nnaemeka Ejiofor, said those who perpetuated the illegal act will be slammed with civil and criminal cases. “They will be charged for criminal trespass and theft, since some items have been declared missing, while in the civil action they will also be charged for violating the judge’s fundamental human rights,” he added.

He criticized the attitudes of the squad members as uncivilized, adding that the squad went too far in their act, by harassing the judge’s family members, including underaged children.

According to him, High Court 17 and Magistrate Binta’s court are hearing cases over the eviction and yet the squad disregarded them to carryout their actions.

Also reacting, FCT Police Spokesperson, Moshood Jimoh, said he is not aware of the eviction. He said if policemen were involved in the action they might have been enforcing a court order.