Political Parties

• Pages: 848-848

Paras. 2133-2200 Vol. 16 : POLICE 848

attempting to enforce what they consider to be their right or entitlement.

It is, therefore, wrong, very wrong for a group of persons to go to the work-

shop of another in Bode, effect a forcible entry into it, beat up his employee and

remove the morning’s takings, all in the purported but misguided exercise of power

on behalf, ostensibly, of a local branch of a trade union. It is even more wrong for

such persons to claim immunity for their action on the pretence that it was a police

officer that they had employed to remove the pepper mill. The law of Nigeria is that

those who set a ministerial rather than a judicial officer in motion in this way are as

liable for the wrongful seizure of another’s property as if they had done it them-

selves. Police officers must, therefore, be wary of being inveigled into a situation in

which they find themselves becoming partisan agents of wrong-doers in the pursuit

of a private vendetta. This kind of a show of power which is becoming too frequent

in our society today must be discouraged by all those who set any store by civilized

values. The poor pepper mill owner is as entitled to his workshop and his humble

means of livelihood as is the owner of a mansion and a share certificate not to be

deprived of them even for one day. There will accordingly be judgment in favour of

the mill owner for the loss of his earnings during the period when his mill was wrong-

fully withheld by the defendants.” - Per Elias, C.J.N. in Ajao v. Ashiru Suit No. S.C.

277/1973; (1973) 8 N.S.C.C. 525 at 533.

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