A hotel proprietor in Anambra State, Mrs Khadijat Chizoba Lawal, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to direct the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 54 Squadron, Onitsha, to immediately vacate her property, Idoko International Hotel, located at 3-3, Onitsha, in compliance with a court order.
Mrs Lawal also demanded the payment of an outstanding debt of N21,666,667, said to be part of an accumulated N50 million owed to her family over the prolonged occupation of the 60-room hotel facility by the police formation since 2009.
Addressing journalists in Onitsha, the hotel owner lamented that the continuous occupation of the property by the PMF had inflicted severe financial hardship on her family and left the once-thriving hotel in a deplorable condition.
According to her, the facility has deteriorated significantly and now requires urgent renovation and maintenance.
“The hotel has been badly damaged and turned into an eyesore,” she alleged, adding that repeated efforts to secure compliance with court directives had yielded no result.
Mrs Lawal stated that her family had written several petitions to relevant authorities, including the Police Service Commission (PSC), the Force Headquarters legal department in Abuja, and the Anambra State Police Command, demanding payment of the outstanding arrears and execution of the court-issued warrant of possession.
She alleged that despite these steps, the PMF 54 Squadron had neither vacated the premises nor settled the outstanding liabilities.
The hotel owner further claimed that her family had been denied access to conduct routine inspections of the property, contrary to an earlier agreement reached before the hotel was leased to the police authorities.
She displayed copies of legal correspondence exchanged between her solicitors, Onyechi Araka and Company, and the Police Service Commission, as well as letters addressed to the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State.
Among the documents presented were a consent judgment issued by the High Court of Anambra State sitting in Onitsha on May 20, 2019, and a subsequent judgment reportedly delivered on January 20, 2020, by Justice D.A. Onyefulu.
Mrs Lawal explained that the property was initially leased to the Anambra State Government in 2008 for use as the operational base of the PMF 54 Squadron, Onitsha.
She said disputes later arose over 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/274/2016 before the High Court in Onitsha.
According to her, the matter was eventually resolved through an out-of-court settlement, the terms of which were adopted as a consent judgment by the court.
She disclosed that in a letter dated November 3, 2021, the Anambra State Government proposed to pay N10 million as rent covering April 2021 to March 2022, while also undertaking to vacate the property by March 2022.
Lawal said the proposal was accepted by her family, but alleged that the police authorities had remained in occupation of the hotel beyond the agreed date.
She stated that following the refusal of the PMF to vacate the premises, her legal team approached the court and obtained a warrant of possession against the occupants.
“We urge the Inspector-General of Police to use his office to ensure compliance with the court’s warrant of possession, direct the PMF 54 Squadron to vacate the property, and settle the outstanding arrears in obedience to the orders of the court,” she said.
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