Cameroonian Businessman Illegally Arrested, Detained Over Commercial Dispute With DIG Frank Mba’s Relative –Lawyer Raises Alarm

By Daniel Dafe

A Cameroonian businessman in Nigeria, Mr. Langwa Breshnev, is said to have been illegally arrested and detained by the Nigerian Police Force over a civil and commercial dispute.

Brezhnev, is the Chief Executive Officer of Bennycom Agro and Farms Limited, a company incorporated under the Laws of Nigeria and duly licensed to carry on the business of large scale fertiliser importation and exportation.

A statement signed by Inibehe Effiong ESQ, Lead Counsel to the victim, added that “Mr. Langwa is an employer of labour with many Nigerians under his employment and payroll.”

Continuing, Effiong said: “Our client has a commercial dispute with one of his business partners, Mr. Hillary Emeka Mba, regarding claims and counter claims over computation of profit sharing, costs, expenses, taxes, on their fertiliser trade collaborations; a unique business model where Hillary Emeka Mba buys fertilizers from manufacturers in Nigeria and hands over to our client, who then secures trade licenses, manages logistics, handles Customs duties, and ships the product (fertilizers) to Cameroon, where our client also undertakes the sales of the fertilizers, and subsequently, they both share profit.”

He said further: “Hillary Emeka Mba claims our client is owing him, a claim our client vehemently disputes. Both parties had agreed to invite a neutral third party to resolve their dispute, but rather than allow the amicable resolution to be explored, Hillary Emeka Mba who has repeatedly sworn and threatened to use his “connections” in the Nigeria Police to force our client to repay debts that are clearly disputed and unproven, got Police officers from the Office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, FCID Annex, Alagbon, Lagos to illegally arrest and detain our client in order to force our client to pay disputed debt allegedly owed to his business partner Hillary Emeka Mba, a relative of newly promoted Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Frank Mba.

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“Without any prior invitation whatsoever, our client was on Friday, 14th July, 2023, arrested at a Lounge in Uyo by men of the Nigeria Police who expressly informed our client that he was needed in Lagos in relation to a case in which DIG Frank Emeka Mba has interest in. Our client was arrested, detained at A Division in Uyo and flown to Lagos on Sunday, 16th July, 2023 where he was further detained without being notified of his offence in writing in violation of section 35(3) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

“Our client’s constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of movement and personal liberty were severely violated for many days before the Police upon being confronted by a lawyer from our Firm on their illegality, surreptitiously took our client Mr. Langwa to a Magistrate Court in Surulere on 20th July 2023, seeking an Order to detain our client for additional 30 days for “further investigation”.

“It is important to note that this sinister move was made after a Lawyer from our Firm challenged the IPO, one Inspector Isuku Jeffrey Ifah on the illegality of our client’s prolonged detention. The IPO had on Tuesday 18th July, 2023 threatened that he will keep our client in detention for as long as he wants until our client pays the disputed and unproven debt of Twenty Six Million Naira.”

According to the statement, his “Firm intercepted information of the surreptitious move by the Police and a lawyer from our Firm appeared at the Magistrate Court to challenge the illegal Remand Application,” saying “quite humorously, the Police in their affidavit in support of the Remand Application averred that our client has made “a confessional statement” admitting to committing the imaginary crime. However and ironically, they insist they want 30 days remand to investigate a crime even when they claim the suspect has admitted and confessed to it.”

Furthermore, the lawyer said Mr. Hillary Emeka Mba, a relative of DIG Frank Emeka Mba has continued to threaten to use his connection in the Police to deal with his client.

“The Head of Investigation Team handling the investigation at FCID, Alagbon, Lagos, one Supol Ayoleyi Tawose Ajayi, on Wednesday 26th July, 2023 threatened and insisted that she’ll get the 30 days and keep our client in custody until the disputed debt is paid, irrespective of whatever the learned Magistrate, Mr. Bashir Ajiferuke does or decides in the Remand Application. As a matter of fact, we wish to state for the records, that the Remand Application was brought in violation of the procedure laid down in section 264 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State and in breach of Section 35(5) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and same is being challenged.

“We consider these actions highly reprehensible, unprofessional, illegal and barbaric. The Police is not a debt recovery agent and Section 32 (2) of the Police Act, 2020 prohibits police officers from arresting a person based on a civil wrong or breach of contract. We are equally aware that at a recent forum, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, had openly warned men of the Force not to dabble into civil disputes.”

He thus called on the Inspector General of Police “to match words with action, demonstrate courage and reign in his men, if he must be taken seriously.”

I’m his words, “we are calling on the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission to as a matter of urgency, call DIG Frank Mba, Supol Ayoleyi Tawose Ajayi and Inspector Isuku Jeffrey Ifah and every officer involved in this most unprofessional and unlawful venture to order forthwith. If the Police believes a crime has been committed, they should not be scared to file a charge against our client, and we are ready and happy to meet them in court.

“These barbaric tactics and threats have become intolerable. We are not in a banana republic and the Police is not above the law.”