By  Innocent Anaba

Lagos—Former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, has filed a N90billion suit against Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA and its Director General, Mr Zikade Akpobolokemi, before a Lagos High Court sitting in Lagos.
Iheanacho is asking for the money as damages for the alleged assault on him and his false imprisonment.

Integrated Oil and Gas Limited owned by Iheanacho is co-claimants in the suit, while other defendants are NIMASA’s Executive Director in charge of Maritime, Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Callistus  Obi and the agency’s Head of Public Relations, Hajia Tumaka.

Iheanacho, former Vice President of the Indigeneous Ship Owners’ Asscociation, is contending in the suit that as a result of the invasion of his farm tank in Ibafon, Lagos between August 29 and September 28, 2012 by 30 policemen under the command of NIMASA on the allegation that  stolen oil products was being stored in his premises, he was arrest and detained at NIMASA’s Search/Rescue/Resource Centre in Kirikiri, Lagos and later at Department of Security Services, DSS, office at Shangisha Lagos, in  violation of his fundamental human rights.

On the allegation against him, he contended that “MT Grace” which discharged the 3000.349 meyric tonnes of diesel oil in his farm tank on the request of PDR  Ventures Limited had the written permissions of all relevant authorities to do so, including  NIMASA, Commanding Officer of  the Naval Base, Beecroft Dockyard, Lagos, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR  and Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.

He is also contending in the suit that despite all these permissions and the presence of  the representatives of  these government agencies, when the products were discharged, NINAMA’s agents came 13 days after to seal off the farm tanks and arrested and detained five employees of Integrated Oil and Gas Limited.

According to him, the media report of the incidence, made him and his company to suffer “considerable loss and damage” including drop in revenues  and damage to his reputation, as it  was now difficult for him and Intergrated Oil and Gas Limited to obtain credit from banks and other lending institutions.

He argued that the action by NIMASA and its agents, was a targeted malice, praying the court to compel the defendants to pay him N90 billion as damages and N349 millin plus interest at 25 per cent per annum  for misfeasance in public office, malicious falsehood, conspiracy to injure economic interests, trespass to land, defamation, assault and false imprisonment.