A pharmacist and an Enugu based industrialist, Kenechukwu Igweagu, has approached the Federal High Court, FHC, Enugu, to save him from police harassment and an attempt to close down his factory at Emene Industrial Layout, Enugu.
Igweagu who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rugal Pharmaceutical Limited, in an affidavit he deposed to in support of a preliminary objection filed by his lawyers at the FHC Enugu, is asking the court to strike out/decline jurisdiction in a charge contemptuously initiated against him by the Inspector General of Police.
Igweagu lamented that the police initiated the two-count charge of obtaining by false pretence, advanced free fraud, intent to defraud and criminal breach of trust against him, notwithstanding the pendency of a suit he filed, seeking for orders to restrain his invitation, intimidation, harassment, arrest and filing of any charge against him by the defendants.
The 1st to 7th defendants in the said Suit No FHC/EN/CS/120/2024 are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector general of Police (IGP), the Nigerian Police Force, the Inspector General of Poilce, C.I.D Annex Enugu, Nigeria Police Force, Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Police Command, JENDIV Pharmacy Limited and Pharmacist Mrs. Ngozi Gloria Onyeka.
Narrating his ordeal, he said the 2nd to 3rd respondents, now complainants in Charge No. FHC/EN/CR/149/2024 were aware of the pendency of the civil suit in which he sought three injunctive orders against them and other defendants, and upon becoming aware of the suit and the motion for interlocutory injunction filed on 4/7/2024-Exhibit A-, took steps in the pending suit and filed a joint defendants statement of Defence on October 4, 2024, marked as Exhibit C.
According to the industrialist, the 2nd to 3rd defendants also took further steps in the pending action by filing a counter affidavit, which he marked as Exhibit D.
The pharmacist lamented that notwithstanding the pendency of the suit between the parties, praying for injunctive orders to restrain the defendants in respect of a contract between him and the 6th defendant (Ngozi Onyeka), the 2nd to 3rd defendants in disobedience to the due process of the law and in contempt of the court, went ahead to file the charge against him on August 6, 2024.
Igweagu stated: “The 2nd to 5th respondents notwithstanding joining issues with the plaintiffs in the pending suit, failed to stay action, pending the determination of the civil suit; contemptuously in bad faith proceeded without due process of law instituted Charge No FHC/EN/CR/149/2024, against the plaintiffs. Applicants on 6th of August, 2024.
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