Andrew is praying the court to declare the entry into his house as illegal while demanding a compensation of N5m.
A man, Bishop Dickson Andrew, has instituted a legal case against the Jos Electricity Distribution Company for invading his house and damaging his property while he was out.
Andrew is praying the court to declare the entry into his house as illegal while demanding a compensation of N5m.
Also joined in the suit are Victor Odoba, Cephas Gbabe and Ternenge Abancha, who work for the distribution company.
Andrew said he returned home on February 10, 2020 when he heard movement in his ceiling.
He said, “As I walk into my house, I noticed irrational movement in my ceiling, I immediately raised the alarm.
“All of a sudden, the young man's leg broke the ceiling in my kitchen area and I held his leg but he managed to push me away and escape through the exit to another apartment connected to mine in the ceiling.
“So I ran out and only for me to see the Jos Electricity Distribution PLC Marketing personnel by name Cephas Mercer and one Victor Odoba coming down from the ceiling.”
He said he reported the issue to the Area E Police Division in Benue but they tried to frustrate the case.
He said the two staff of Jos EDC were arrested but released as the police refused to take further steps on the matter, telling him that his case file was missing.
“I went to the police station at Apehe in Makurdi to make my complaint, the boys were arrested but released immediately.
“After visiting the police station several times, I was told that my case file got missing. I pressed through until the DPO was ordered from Abuja to move the case to court.
“The first case was moved to Magistrate Court 1 opposite School of Nursing, Makurdi, on the criminal level and the second case was against JED PLC on civil level,” Andrew added.
He is praying the court to grant a declaration that the “malicious entry of the 1st and 2nd defendant into the premises of plaintiff in his absence through the ceiling and without his permission was an invasion of the plaintiff’s privacy and an unlawful act of malicious trespass against the plaintiff”.
He asked the court to order “general damages of the sum of N5m against the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants jointly and severally for maliciously and unlawfully trespassing against the plaintiff’s privacy, property and the attendant inconveniences thereto”.
He is also asking that the defendants pay him N200,000 being the cost of instituting and prosecuting the lawsuit.
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