A 52-year-old medical doctor, Israel Emmanuel, told a Magistrates’ Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, how Peter Bilal, a retired Group Captain, invited the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel to harass and threaten to kill him in his residence.
Emmanuel, through his counsel, Dr Oluwaseyi Leigh, in a direct criminal complaint marked: CR/16/2022 and filed before Magistrate Oluwakemi Ariwoola, prayed for the court’s intervention.
“The complainant is a medical doctor resident at Block D9, Flat 71, CBN I & J Estate, 9 Zaria Street, Off Ladoke Akintola Street, Garki 2, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the court,” he said.
He averred that Bilal, who also resides in the same estate where he lives, had continued to intimidate and harass him over allegation that he committed criminal trespass against him (Bilal).
“The defendant is a neighbour to the complainant and a retired Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel who resides at Flat 72, which is opposite the complainant’s own apartment (Flat 71) on the last Floor of Block D9, CBN I & J Estate, 9 Zaria Street, Off Ladoke Akintola Street, Garki 2, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Court,” he said.
According to him, he has suffered psychological torture, physical abuse, hatred and ridicule from neighbours on account of the unrelenting and unremitting hostile attitude of the defendant (Bilal).
He said that Bilal, at one time, reported him at Garki Police Station on allegations that he tampered with his (Bilal’s) Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC)’s prepaid meter.
Emmanuel, who described the allegation as untrue, said Bilal had earlier made same complaint to the other neighbours and occupants of the estate and that the estate technical personnel was called to investigate his claims and found this to be untrue.
“Yet, the defendant (Bilal) has refused to apologise to the complainant and to desist from further maligning his character,” he said.
According to him, after departing the police station and on getting to the scene of the crime at the estate at about 3:32p.m in the afternoon that day, the defendant brought Air Force Police personnel to the block.
“And as the complainant and the Investigating Police Officers were downstairs in the building, the defendant pointed the complainant out to the Airforce men who marched him to his apartment on the last floor, at gunpoint, entered the complainant’s apartment and started taking pictures and making video recordings which they took away with them.
“The complainant states that all the while that the Airforce men were in the complainant’s apartment, the defendant started raining vulgar abuse on him, casting derogatory aspersions on his person.
“Boasting that as he (the defendant) was an Airforce personnel even though retired, his links with the Airforce still subsists and that there is nothing the complainant or anyone could do to him to bring him to justice,” he averred.
Emmanuel alleged that Bilal vowed that he would stop at nothing to force him to leave the estate.
“And that he, the defendant, will not rest until he permanently gets rid of the complainant from the surface of the earth, as the complainant is a national security risk,” he said.
(NAN)
