The Nigeria Police has finally obeyed the court directive to unseal Tiamin Rice Mill in Kano, sealed under the Governor Umar Ganduje administration.
On May 4, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja gave the order.
The Kano State Government had shut the company over alleged air pollution.
Authorises explained that the action was taken after complaints by the host community claiming “the pollution could aggravate coronavirus patients”.
But the Tiamin Group, in their reaction, accused the government of witch hunt and impunity.
On Wednesday, their lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), confirmed that all barricades erected at the company by the police have been removed.
The senior lawyer commended IGP Mohammed Adamu for “demonstrating faithfulness to his oath of office and obedience to the rule of law”.
The court had threatened to jail the Kano State Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police if they failed to effect his order.
Justice Abang declared that they “will be guilty of contempt of court and will be committed to prison.”
Tiamin Rice Mill, Tiamin Multi-Services Global Limited and Aliyu Ali Ibrahim, had jointly sued the Police, the Kano Government and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) for violation of their fundamental rights.
Justice Abang, while granting the prayers, said they were “lawful owners and occupiers of their property in Kano and are entitled to own property and enjoy occupation, possession, and use of the same.”
He ruled that the Kano’s government’s action “without any order of a competent court of law backing up the sealing, constituted a violation of the owners’ fundamental rights under Sections 33, 34, 43 and 44 of the 1999 Constitution and is therefore illegal and unconstitutional”.
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