An Onitsha-based hotel proprietor, Mrs. Khadijat Lawal, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to direct operatives of the Police Mobile Force, 54 Squadron, Onitsha, to vacate her hotel property in compliance with existing court orders.
Lawal also demanded the payment of an alleged outstanding N21.6m debt, said to be part of over N50m accumulated from the prolonged occupation of her 60-room Idoko International Hotel by the police formation since 2009.
Speaking with journalists in Onitsha, Anambra State, the hotel owner lamented that the continued use of the property by the police had caused severe financial hardship to her family and left the facility in a deteriorated condition.
She alleged that the once-thriving hotel had suffered extensive damage during the period of occupation and now required urgent renovation and maintenance.
According to her, several attempts by the family to enforce court directives and recover the property had been unsuccessful despite petitions sent to relevant authorities.
“We have written petitions to the Police Service Commission, the Force Headquarters legal department in Abuja, and the Anambra State Police Command, demanding payment of the outstanding arrears and enforcement of the court-issued warrant of possession, but our efforts have allegedly been frustrated,” she said.
Lawal further claimed that the police authorities denied her family access to inspect the facility despite an earlier agreement reached before the hotel was leased to the state government for police accommodation.
She presented copies of legal documents, including correspondence exchanged between her solicitors and the Police Service Commission, as well as letters sent to the Inspector-General of Police and the Anambra State Commissioner of Police.
Among the documents displayed were a consent judgment issued by the High Court of Anambra State sitting in Onitsha on May 20, 2019, and another judgment delivered by Justice D.A. Onyefulu on January 20, 2020.
Explaining the background of the dispute, Lawal said the hotel was leased to the Anambra State Government in 2008 for use by PMF 54 Squadron, which was deployed to provide security for the state-owned Orient Petroleum facilities.
She stated that disagreements later emerged over alleged irregular payment of rent, prompting the family to institute legal action against both the Anambra State Government and the Nigeria Police Force in Suit No. O/27/2016 before the High Court in Onitsha.
According to her, the matter was eventually resolved through an out-of-court settlement adopted as a consent judgment by the court.
Lawal added that the Anambra State Government later proposed a N10m payment covering rent from April 2021 to March 2022 and also pledged to vacate the premises by March 2022.
“We accepted the proposal, but the mobile police officers have remained in the hotel till date,” she alleged.
She said the family subsequently obtained a warrant of possession from the court following the refusal of the occupants to vacate the property.
The hotel owner urged the Inspector-General of Police to ensure compliance with the court order and facilitate the settlement of the outstanding rent arrears.
She expressed confidence that the police leadership would uphold the rule of law and ensure justice in the matter.