With Dayo Benson
I am self-employed. My speciality is aluminum window frame design and fittings. I have been doing this for years and I never had any problem with people I work for. Recently, I introduced a friend to somebody who needed some carpentry work to be done at his building site. After linking the two, I had no idea of what transpired between them.

One day I received a telephone call from the man I introduced the friend to. He asked me to meet him at a particular place. I had no inkling of what was in the offing and I didn’t have any misgivings since I had earlier worked for him. Unknown to me, a policeman was waiting to arrest me over my friend’s misdeed. I was taken to a police station at Ikeja and detained from morning till late in the evening.

I paid before I was released on bail. My offence was that my friend abandoned the job half-way after receiving full payment. It was a traumatic experience for me. My efforts to get my friend or his family refund the money I paid to bail myself have been unsuccessful. What can I do?

— Akin

It is a pity that you were made to suffer wrongfully for the sin of your friend.

It would have been a different situation if your friend were your agent in which case you as a principal would have vicariously liable for his omission or commission. Your illegal detention by the police was a flagrant breach of your fundamental human right.

You can write a petition to the police authority and if no action is taken, you can sue. On the issue of paying to secure bail, if was unlawful because bail is free.

You should insist that your friend refund the money, at least he was paid for the job he abandoned.