A clergy woman has drawn the attention of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Joseph Mukan, to the conversion to Police Post of a property located at Iriebe street, D-Line Port Harcourt.
Archbishop Lilian Briggs, made the call following her forceful eviction and the immediate conversion of the said property to a Police Post.
According to her, she is been evicted based on a judgment secured in a Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt on 17th August, 2020, by the children of the late owner of the property, Bishop Friday Nwator, without receiving any court process or a hearing notice.
In an interview with reporters at the scene of eviction, Briggs claimed that the property was given to her as a gift by Late Friday Nwator, whom she served before his death.
She said, “the suit was filed sometime in June or July this year. They brought the first process when the matter has not been assigned. Since then, I did not get any documentation nor was I in court any day for hearing of any matter.
“The day I went to court after they gave me the paper, they told me in court that nothing is happening yet on the matter that they will adjourn the case and let me know, so I gave them my lawyer’s name, I didn’t hear anything again from them.
“Only for them to come today to throw my things away when they were supposed to give an adjournment date. Even the judgement order obtained said in ninety (90) days and it is yet not up to. Everything was done in a hurry just to eject me from the property.
“Dominic Nwator met me after his father’s death, knowing his father willed the property to me, asked me to give it to him that he will give me some money. I told him I cannot sell the gift his father gave to me, he got angry and threatened to deal with, that he will show me he has political Powers.
“In 2016 he took the matter to a Police station located at Oluobasanjo Road in Port Harcourt, I presented all the documents to the DPO. After going through the documents, the DPO closed the case and told Dominic blatantly that he cannot take the property because it belongs to me. He still threatened me in the presence of the DPO that he will deal with me.
“Even the Police DIG then, Habila, who was working my with my Bishop during the militancy time, also confirmed to the DPO handling the case, that late Bishop Nwator told her that he has willed the property to the lady working for him.
“This is an injustice. For the fifteen years that I looked after his father, where was he? Only for him to resurface to ill-treat me, throwing my things out of the property given to me. I have documents to prove ownership.
“It is my property, I want to use it to continue the ministry work Bishop Nwator left behind, because I took over from him. We do not have another place for the ministry right now, Dominic can not drive us out”
Reacting to the development, a Human Rights Lawyer, Barrister OC. Higher King, said the eviction action is against the law, as the law permits ninety days to allow a party approach appeal court which was never followed considering the date of judgement obtained
“I am going to investigate the judgement order. From what I see, judgement was delivered on 28th August, 2020, and they started commencement of execution immediately on 4th September.
“It is a default judgment because our client was not represented and I wonder why she would not be represented in court, something is wrong somewhere. We will have to go to the court file and find out if she was served the necessary documents, was she served hearing notice, who served her even if she was served who served her?.
“The building belongs to her, when you go to the property, you will see the front building in green colour is the original building owned by late Dr. Nwator. I have in my possession documents transferring title to her, I also have documents showing evidence of the new development, which she did behind the building even when the owner was alive, and it was approved by Rivers State Regional and Urban Planning Development.
“She used her money to further develop the building only for this to happen to her. It is very sad, it is unacceptable, it is a violation of her right and we are going to make sure her right is protected.
Higher King, however, expressed displeasure with the Rivers State Police Command for taking over the said property and making it a Police Post, while calling on the Commissioner of Police to remove his Officers posted to the building, as it is against the law.
“The aspect that got me worrisome and sad is that after the Police Officers evicted my client from the building with properties worth million packed outside, instead of the Officers to take their leave, they round the property with arms.
“I approached them to enquire if they are not done with the execution, they showed me a document that they have an approval from the Commissioner of Police CP Joseph Mukan, to turn the building to a Police Post.
“We will meet with the CP to confirm if his Officers are to remain in a property and turn it to a Police Post. This is injustice, we are talking of lack of Police Officers, and these ones are posted to mount a building illegally.
“At a time the nation is talking about #EndSars, end Police brutality, let the #Endsars protest not repeat again. The CP should with immediate effect withdraw the officers, this is a Civil matter and not a Police matter.
“Enough is enough for kangaroo judgements, for black market judgement, it should be stopped. Posting five armed police personnel to an elderly woman who is not armed”
