By Our Reporter
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Alkali Baba, has sued a Nigerian woman and single mother of two, accusing her of alleged “criminal activities”. This is contained in a court paper (a copy of which Elrufai News Magazine has) which the Inspector General reportedly caused to be left behind at the time the seizure took place of the property of the Nigerian woman, Ms Rihole, ex-wife of the maker of ALABUKUN pain killer drug, Koye Odulate. The seizure was effected on Friday, May 26, 2023, led by a team of police officers reportedly from the IG’s Monitoring Unit, Abuja. This latest move by the Inspector General is made even as there is a standing court order to maintain status quo by all parties involved in an ongoing lawsuit involving Ms Rihole and Mr Odulate as issued by Honourable Justice Aluko on 25th August, 2022.
Fair Acres, seized by the Inspector General of Police
In the paper that has the Inspector General of Police as the sole Complainant/Applicant and titled Suit No. FHC/L/242C/2022, reference is made to the case “Between Inspector-General of Police…Complainant/Applicant” and Rihole Odulate as defendant. The letter reads, “upon this motion exparte dated and filed on the 22nd of March, 2023, praying for the following orders: 1. An order of the Honourable Court granting preservation of the following properties reasonably suspected to have been derived from criminal activities for a period of sixty (60) days viz: (a.) Property known as Fair acres Hospitality Ltd…” (b.) Property situate and being at No. 24, Iyalla Street, Oregun Road, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, (c.) and for such other order.”
The paper was signed by J.O. Agbor (Mr), Principal Executive Officer, Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on May 26, 2023, and it carried a signature said to be that of Honourable Justice D.E. Osiagor who, according to the paper, granted the order as requested by the Inspector General of Police.
According to report from eyewitnesses at Fair acres, the police put another notice on the property that read “Subject to Litigation today 26/5/2023.”
Recall that ENM reported that the action the IG takes is based on allegation of fraud made by Mr Odulate to the police about his ex-wife, Ms Odulate. This has been refuted by lawyers to Ms Rihole who alleged that Mr Odulate came up with the allegations in order to ensure he did not obey the order of a UK court which, in a divorce proceedings, had ordered him to pay for the upkeep of the children of his marriage to Ms Odulate. Mr Odulate had alleged that while she was married to him, Ms Rihole defrauded his company Kuramo Industries Nigeria Ltd, makers of ALABUKUN, as well as the company they founded and owned together, Metro Group Ltd., of unstated sums of money, all of which allegations Ms Rihole’s lawyers have equally denied.
Another letter to the IG from Baron and Stagger Chamber, lawyers to Ms Rihole, also alleged that Mr Odulate engaged in falsification of company documents at the Corporate Affairs Commission by removing his ex-wife as Director in Kuramo Industries Nigeria Ltd (makers of ALABUKUN) without her knowledge. This, allegedly, was part of Mr Odulate’s effort to ensure he did not obey the subsisting UK court order. While the IG’s office acknowledged the receipt of the letter from Baron and Stagger, the CAC has kept silent over the matter.
In the original court papers and affidavit dated May 16, 2022 with Suit No. FHC/L/CS/851/2022 and filed by Ms Rihole’s lawyers, Ukiri and Lijadu, they accused Mr Odulate and others of engaging in harassment of their client. Listed in the original suit number FHC/L/CS/851/2022 as respondents along with Mr Odulate were the Inspector General of Police, ASP Idris Rasheed (Officer In Charge Team 8 Zone 2 Command Onikan; CSP Uba Bangajiyaadam (O/C Monitoring Unit (MTU) Zone 2 H/Q Onikan; The Assistant Inspector General Of Police (Zone 2 Command Onikan); The Inspector General Of Police. The Nigeria Police Force; Mr Uche Wigwe; Wigwe & Partners, as well as the Attorney General Of The Federation.
According to Ukiri and Lijadu, the entire matter in which the IG is now involved is predicated on a divorce case and Mr Odulate made the allegations he did without bringing to the attention of the police that Ms Rihole was married to him for twenty years. According to Ukiri and Lijadu, “The 1st Applicant (Ms Rihole) and the 1st Respondent (Mr Odulate) are presently engaged in post-divorce proceedings which are aimed at providing financial remedies to the 1st Applicant and the children of the marriage between the 1st Applicant and the 1st Respondent which was dissolved on 14th January 2022. Attached herewith and marked as Exhibit A is the Decree Absolute dated 14th January 2022.
“The 1st Respondent (Mr Odulate) has since been bitter and enraged that the 1st Applicant (Ms Rihole) had the courage to commence divorce proceedings against him and to seek to obtain financial remedies. and he is determined to frustrate the 1st Applicant and punish her and the
children of the marriage in retaliation. The 1st Applicant has resorted to the use of every resource within his means to fight the 1st Applicant and her family members including the 2nd Applicant through the 2nd 5th 6th instrumentalities of the – Respondents and other officers of the Respondent, whom the 1st Respondent perceives as easily corruptible and can be bent
to his purposes. The 1st Respondent has purposefully and deliberately targeted the 1st Applicant’s family members including the 2nd Applicant to frustrate the Ist Applicant and her
attempts to secure financial remedies for herself and the children of the marriage
between the 1st Applicant and the 1st Respondent.”
Lawyers to Ms Rihole have equally, since the matter began in court, informed court that the actions of Mr Odulate and the Nigeria Police have put their client in serious financial distress as her properties and businesses are not operating due to constant police harassment which ultimately ended in the latest seizure.
Worthy of note is the fact that the house at No 24 Iyalla Street which the IG seized through the court order was the property of Ms Rihole’s late father and it had been built decades before Ms Rihole got married to Mr Odulate. Also, Fair acres, was the property of Ms Rihole who was a businesswoman before she got married.
