How Police Supervised Looting Of Gold and Dollars, Property Destruction And Unlawful Invasion By Thugs, Sheriff At Wrong Address in Lagos
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that traumatised residents of 35 Folarin Street, Mushin, Lagos State, have recounted an harrowing experience they suffered from a band of overzealous law enforcement officers and sheriff who were too eager to enforce a court order and didn’t check to find out they were indeed at the wrong location despite pleas by the victims to verify while the invasion and wanton destruction of property and rabid looting lasted.
The invasion was supervised by armed men, including officers from Olosan Divisional Police Station, Mushin, which resulted in their forcible eviction, massive property destruction, and alleged Looting of valuables including cash, gold, and vital documents.
The Victims, Mrs. Ifeoma Okeke and Mr. Samuel Obichi Debem are now pleading with Lagos State authorities for justice.
The Invasion:
According to Mrs. Okeke, the incident occurred around 7:10 AM on Wednesday, March 21st.
Two men initially knocked at the gate, claiming to be from the State High Court and demanding all occupants vacate immediately. Despite requests, they allegedly failed to properly present any court documents.
“Before I could react,” Mrs. Okeke stated, “a large group, including over a dozen men and six police officers (one woman and five men), stormed into the compound.
They started throwing our belongings out violently. The confusion was overwhelming.”
Demands, Theft, and Destruction:
Amidst chaos, Mrs. Okeke reports being told she was a “third party” to a property dispute and pressured to pay ₦5.7 million to stop the eviction.
After negotiating, she was escorted to a bank by one assailant to withdraw ₦500,000. Upon her return approximately 30 minutes later, she discovered her home and other occupants’ rooms ransacked.
“They used my absence to operate freely,” Mrs. Okeke claimed. “Valuables were gone: my gold jewelry, US dollars, expensive Turkish clothing and wigs, vital documents, and more. Everything was destroyed – my fridge was split in two, my AC unit ripped out, furniture broken.”
Other occupants, including Mr. Debem, corroborated the account. “They forced me to move my car so they could throw our property into the street,” Debem recounted.
“My television was smashed, my wardrobe destroyed, my AC damaged. They demanded to know where our ‘jewelries’ were and forced us to pack while they destroyed things.”
Police Presence and Legal Claims:
Curiously, the victims said six armed police officers present during the entire incident, did nothing to stop the destruction or verify the invaders’ claims.
The raiders maintained they were executing a High Court order, but later called Mrs. Okeke admitting a “mistake in address.”
“Forty-five minutes after locking us out, one called saying sorry, it was the wrong address,” Mrs. Okeke said.
“They showed a paper, but the name didn’t match this property. The family I bought the house from in 2017 confirmed there is no ongoing court case involving them here. How can a High Court team target the wrong house after supposedly handling a case for years?”
The Aftermath and Plea for Help:
The compound at 35 Folarin Mushin now lies in ruins, littered with damaged belongings. Residents estimated at least 16 individuals participated: the two initial men, six police officers, two alleged lawyers (one described as aggressively shouting and calling Mrs. Okeke’s lawyer “incompetent”), and six or seven other “boys.”
Mrs. Okeke and Mr. Debem are now destitute. “Everything that made us human beings, everything valuable, is gone,” Mrs. Okeke lamented. “They vandalized and stole every damn thing in just 30 minutes.
“The victims urgently appealed to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the state government for intervention and justice.
“We are begging the Lagos State Government to help us,” Mrs. Okeke pleaded.
“They claimed to be from the Lagos State High Court, destroyed our lives, stole our property, and now say it was a mistake?
We need rescue. We need our property accounted for. We need those responsible held accountable, especially the police who stood by.”
