London Line Petitions Alia, Demands Return Of 32 Vehicles, N5bn Damages

Hyacinth Alia

Governor of Benue State

In response to the Assets Recovery Committee's invasion of the company's facilities on behalf of the state government, the management of London Line Transport Company Ltd. has sent a petition to Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.

On July 11, 2023, members of the committee broke into the business's location on Otukpo Road in Makurdi and carried away cars they said belonged to the state government and had been seized by the state's recently-exiled governor, Samuel Ortom.

Chief Emmanuel Viashima, the company's chief executive officer, said in a petition dated July 14, 2023, which members of the committee headed by Barr Tom Uja stormed into their premises, inventoried their cars, and then hauled them away.

According to him, the committee members bullied workers who had begun filming the invasion out of fear and took several of their phones, which were eventually given back.

After learning of the development, Viashima added, "I rushed to the scene to try and make sense of the whole chaotic situation, and to my utter shock, I was locked out of the premises and refused entry."

Shocked by the committee's actions, he contacted his landlords and attorneys, who later arrived, gained access to the scene, and learned that the committee had been given a search warrant to seize any Hilux, Prado, GAC, and Bus brand vehicles found on the property.

He said that his attorneys had argued against the process of executing search warrants, which calls for a search of the police attempting to carry out the search in order to prevent the planting of incriminating evidence, due to the Gestapo invasion.

The CEO claimed that despite the fact that the alleged search warrant was manifestly, latently, and inherently flawed because it was not directed at any named individual or entity on the face of the document, which called into question its veracity, his team provided all assistance possible to ensure that there was little animosity.

Viashima claims that despite the committee being informed by his team that the vehicles belonged to both companies and individuals, the committee mobilized people to line up the vehicles in a convoy so that they could be recorded, setting up his business for the most damaging publicity possible that would have a negative impact on the company's actual business.

Since the event, he said, bogus reports stated the corporation maintained the cars that the former governor had seized from the Benue State government and placed elsewhere in the social media and news media.

Viashima, described as uncalled for, the way pressmen and a group of intimidating-looking thugs controlled the company's main offices and the area around them for the duration of the operation.

Governor Alia was made aware of a Facebook post made on July 12, 2023, by Mr. Tersoo Kulas, the governor of Benue State's chief press secretary, regarding an incident in which he falsely identified vehicles parked on London Line's rival company's property as those that had been towed away.

The CEO of London Line Transport Ltd. stated that the article had attracted a lot of unsavory comments that cast doubt on and mocked the company's reputation.

He claimed that these images had also become popular, which had a detrimental impact on their line of work, which entails primarily meeting the transportation needs of customers regardless of race, religion, or political inclination.

According to Viashima, the corporation is already seeing the immediate effects and the fallout of the unfavorable press brought on by the invasion.

Additionally, the CEO stated that 32 automobiles were forcibly seized from the firm by the Asset Recovery Committee, in contrast to the Asset Recovery Committee's allegations that 30 vehicles were hauled away from the company's premises.

He refuted the assertion that Ortom was the owner of all the cars hauled away as well as the workshop.

He said that the property is only owned by his landlords, Oracle Business Ltd. However, records show that London Line Transport Company Ltd has been in legal possession of the building under a lease for many years, performing repairs and renovations for a variety of clients, including the Benue State government.

He bemoaned that the committee had ruined his wife's Lexus 250 while forcibly tying it up and dragging it away and then listed all 32 of the automobiles hauled away, along with their owners and vehicle information.

A total of N5 billion in general damages are sought by the firm.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, National Human Rights Commission, Inspector General of Police, Benue State Command Police Commissioner, President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Makurdi, Secretary to the Benue State Government, Chairman of the Assets Recovery Committee, and the Tor Tiv were all copied on the petition that was addressed to the governor.