The management of Tauba Hotel, Abuja, and its director, Usman Yusuf, have dragged a Chinese businessman, Lie Jie, and his company, Global View Advertising Company, before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Kuje over a breach of the contract agreement.
Tauba Hotel leased the company to the Chinese firm for 15 years, but the firm was said to have breached the agreement.
According to the court document, they were said to have vandalised the hotel by removing the doors, televisions, beds and other valuable items months into the lease agreement under the guise of renovation.
In the documents, the Chinese businessmen, headed by Lie Jie, whose names could not be traced at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, were said to have removed the items for sale without replacement.
Upon the owner‘s complaints, they resorted to using policemen, “claiming to be“ acting under the instruction of the IGP and immediate past Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Force Investigation Bureau, FIB.
In a petition by Tauba Hotel dated February 3, 2025, to the Office of Force Public Relations, the complainant said, “We have the instruction of Usman Yusuf, a Director of Tauba Hotel Limited, Bilal Yusuf, and Sahabi Sufiyan, all hereinafter referred to as our clients, to bring the above-stated complaint against the following police officers: Inspector Yunusa, Adedoyin Taiwo, Adah Haruna, and Amali Ukenwu at the property known as Tauba Hotel, Utako Abuja.
“We gathered from our clients that sometime in January 2025 at about 11:20 am they had visited the property known as Tauba Hotel purposely to find out why the MTN staff were denied access to their mast inside the Tauba Hotel building at Utako. And the MTN had threatened to take legal action against Tauba Hotel Limited if the situation is not corrected. While at the Tauba Hotel building, the above-stated police officers insisted that our clients would not enter even after the purpose of the visit was made known, and the Tauba Hotel Building belongs to our clients through on lease to Global View Advertising Company Limited.
“Our clients eventually entered the premises, and immediately Yunusa and the other police officers saw our clients, they started beating them mercilessly. As if that was not enough, Yunusa and one other officer started shooting both in the air and also aiming at our clients and never bothered if the shooting would have resulted in the killing of our clients even though our clients were harmless. The shooting caught the attention of neighbouring offices, particularly the food seller close to the LEADERSHIP office. A civil defence officer by the name of Muhammad was a witness to all the incidents and the shooting.
“Sir, it’s against the continuous act of assault, intimidation, and threat to kill our clients by the above-mentioned police officers that we have deemed it necessary to write this complaint for immediate investigation and appropriate action. Furthermore, sir, I‘m not aware of any provisions of the Police Act or Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that permit a police officer to either shoot or beat a non-arm citizen, but the above-mentioned police officers who are from Lokoja base 8 have shot at our clients even when our clients pose no danger to them but have decided to assault and humiliate our clients.“
The hotel owner has also filed a suit before the High Court of Justice in Kuje, Abuja.
In the suit, the plaintiff is seeking N900m damages and an order of the court, setting aside the lease agreement dated May 21, 2024.
According to the plaintiff, over N500m of property has been removed from the hotel without replacement.
They are seeking the following reliefs from the court: “A declaration that there is no lawful lease agreement between the Claimants and 1st Defendant in view of the fraud and misrepresentation: and suppression of facts by the 2nd and 3rd Defendants who purportedly signed as Director and Secretary of 1st Defendant in the executed lease agreement dated the 21st day of May, 2024 with the Claimants.
“An order of this Honourable Court declaring as illegal, nullity, void abinitio the executed lease agreement dated 21st day of May 2024 fraudulently signed by 2nd and 3rd Defendants as Director and Secretary respectively of the 1st Defendant.
“An order of this Honourable Court compelling the 2nd and 3rd Defendants to immediately redecorate and return all the illegally removed properties of the 1st Claimant, which are 70 beds, 100 mattresses, 85 air conditions, 70 Toilet fittings, 160 doors, 150 cushion chairs, irons, 200 curtains, 200 duvets, 70 fridges and 65 Televisions to the premises of the Claimants.
“An order of this Honourable Court mandating the 2nd and 3rd Defendants to immediately vacate and deliver up possession of the property known as Tauba Hotel to the Claimants in the exact manner the said property was leased out to the Defendants.
“General damages in the sum of N900,090,000.00 (Nine Hundred Million Naira) in favour of the Claimants against the Defendants to be paid jointly and severally for the economic and financial hardship foisted on the Claimants.”
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