The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has been asked to order the former Super Eagles Captain, Nwankwo Kanu to pay the sum of N1 billion for malicious prosecution by the police.
The claimant, Ayoola Gam-Ikon, a business man and lawyer, claimed to have been arraigned on 19 counts of fraud on March 5, 2013 by the police following a complaint lodged against him by the former Super Eagles player.
Ayoola Gam-Ikon, however further claimed that the entire charges against him were thrown out by the trial Chief Magistrate on July 30, 2015 following the legal advise of the Federal Director of Public Prosecutions who absolved the claimant of the alleged offences.
The claimant continued that he had lost the prime years of his life to the trial and therefore urged the court to award damages of N1 billion to him against Kanu further urging the court to order Kanu to pay a 22 percent interest on the amount claimed from December 15, 2015 till the judgement day and a 10 percent interest on the N1 billion from the date the judgement is delivered till the claimed sum is fully paid.
The suit read; “The claimant was devastated by the effect of his arraignment, imprisonment at Ikoyi prison during the perfection of bail and pendency of a criminal charge and has been running from one hospital to the other for medical assistance owing to his debilitating ill health and has only just started showing signs of improvement,”
Ayoola claimed to have met Kanu while he worked as a banker with the Gulf bank of Nigeria Plc where he used to offer Kanu, an account holder and customer financial management advice. He added that after he quit his job as a banker, Himself and Kanu entered into hotel business where they both incorporated The Hardley Apartments Limited on April 22, 2004 on a shareholding agreement of 70 per cent to Kanu and 30 per cent to the claimant.
According to him, the business needed expansion which led them to obtain a N457 million bank loan to raise the hotel to a five star status, the loan repayment he said was the beginning of troubles between him and Kanu which later resulted in his prosecution.
The case filed on Tuesday is yet to be assigned to any judge.