On Wednesday 30th of August 2017, officials of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) stormed the Best Western Plus Hotel at 12, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos early this morning, in an attempt to forcefully seal up and take over the hotel belonging to Mr. Edward Akinlade, Chairman, Suru Group because of a loan he is allegedly owing Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank).
It took the timely intervention of his Lawyers, the Chairman of Suru Group himself who fought back the attempts to take over the hotel, as Federal High Court Baliffs, Policeman and Officials from AMCON attempted to serve the Management of the hotel with a May 2017 Judgement of Justice M.B. Idris, who presiding over the case.
But when the Lawyers of Suru Group checked the judgement, they realised that they weren’t included in the law suit filed by AMCON that had the Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police, Lagos Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Lagos State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, which made their move appear suspicious as the Lagos State High Court is currently on vacation.
Mr Akinlade was so visibly angry that he physically refused the Court Bailiff and the Police from sealing off the gate of the Hotel with chains because, according to him, this is an injustice.
“This AMCON take over is illegal, we were still waiting to go back to court on October 3rd, 2017 for a case we filed against AMCON at the Federal High Court, only for AMCON to turn around and come up with a judgement that does not concern us”. Attempts to get the AMCON officials to speak was rebuffed as they said they weren’t ready to talk to the press.
It took the physical refusal of the Suru boss to allow AMCON officials seal up the place and the presence of the media who took photographs of the drama, scared away both the AMCON officials court baliffs and the police as they quickly left the scene.
