Hotelier fights AMCON officials over attempt to seal-up company
Officials of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) stormed the Best Western Plus Hotel at 12, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos early Wednesday morning, in an attempt to forcefully seal up and take over the hotel belonging to the Chairman, Suru Group, Mr. Edward Akinlade, for allegedly owing Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank) the sum of N15.4 million.
It took the timely intervention of his lawyers, Mr., Akinlade himself to forestall the take over the hotel, as Federal High Court Baliffs, policeman and officials from AMCON attempted to serve the management of the hotel with a May 2017 Judgment of Justice M.B. Idris, who presided over the case.
But when the lawyers of Suru Group checked the judgment, they realised that they weren’t included in the law suit filed by AMCON that had the Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police, Lagos Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Lagos State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCD), which made their move appear suspicious as the Lagos State High Court is currently on vacation.
Mr. Akinlade was so angry that he physically refused the Court Bailiff and the police from sealing off the gate of the hotel with chains because, according to him, “this is an injustice.”
According to him, “this AMCON takeover is illegal, we were still waiting to go back to court on October 3rd, 2017 for a case we filed against AMCON at the Federal High Court, only for AMCON to turn around and come up with a judgement that does not concern us”.
Attempts to get the AMCON officials to speak were rebuffed as they said they weren’t ready to talk to the press.
It took the physical refusal of the Suru boss to allow AMCON officials seal up the place and the presence of the media who took photographs of the drama, scared away both the AMCON officials court baliffs and the police as they quickly left the scene.
According to the company secretary, Mrs. Peace Anomneze, in August 2015 the matter was dismissed before Justice Idris because they brought originating motion before the court and parties have exchanged affidavit evidence so there was no case.
She said for AMCON to join themselves in the matter that is pending, the company has taken application and the matter has been adjourned to October 3, 2017 for ruling.
“Only for us to come here this morning and we saw different applications that we are not part of, they cannot come to a property we are not a party to and take over, the applications they brought are suingState Police Command, General of the Corps, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, I believe is very illegal for them to take another step when the case is still before Justice Suleiman”
“We told Justice Suleiman that the application before him seeking for the same relief has been dismissed before his brother Justice Idris and if they are not comfortable with it they should go to court of appeal that is what the law says because a court of competence jurisdiction cannot interpret the same judgment it should be a higher court, luckily for us it is the same case that has been dismissed that is still before the court,” she said.
Mrs. Anomneze said the company is contesting this application because they are not party to it adding that normally the company should be a party to that application but in this case it is not party therefore AMCON’s action is illegal.
Esther Taiwo
