NewsProbe News from Nigeria and Around the world
Raymond Ozoji, Awka
The Nigeria Police Force has reportedly arrested an Anambra self-acclaimed businessman, Ifediba Umejidike, following a Committal Order made by the Federal High Court, Enugu.
Justice R. O. Dugbo-Oghoghorie of the Federal High Court, Enugu, had on December 3, 2019, issued an order for Police or DSS to arrest Umejidike and hand him over to the Court Sheriff for committal to Enugu Prison until he returns the STIHL Court exhibits which he allegedly diverted, or pays the monetary value.
Umejidike has been accused of being a trade mark troll by unlawfully registering a company in Nigeria with the famous STIHL trade mark belonging to Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG, a German company that manufactures Stihl range of power products.
He reportedly refused to change the infringing company name despite a directive of the Corporate Affairs Commission to do so.
It was reported that Umejidike obtained an Anton Piller Order from the Federal High Court, Enugu presided over by Justice R. O. Dugbo-Oghoghorie by presenting misleading facts to the Court with these unlawful registration documents.
The Anton Piller Order was executed in Lagos on the premises of C. Woermann Nig. Ltd who is the sole distributor of STIHL products in Nigeria.
Umejidike afterwards reportedly hijacked and diverted two truckloads of STIHL products which were to be delivered to the Federal High Court, Enugu as Court exhibits to his house at Ezinifite, Anambra state.
He also purportedly refused to return some of the products said to be worth N30,948,099.95 to the Court even when the Court bailiffs came to his house in Anambra State to recover the products.
Angered by the development, Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG and C. Woermann Nig. Ltd, initiated contempt proceedings against Umejidike at the Federal High Court, Enugu which led to the Committal Order by the Court on December 3, 2019.
NewsProbe gathered that since the Order for his arrest was made in December, Umejidike fled his house and went into hiding in various states and this led to a five-month manhunt for him by the security agencies.
Eventually, the men of the Inspector-General of Police (Intelligence Response Team) arrested him at his hideout in Owerri, Imo State on April 29, 2020 where he reportedly jumped from the top floor in a bid to evade arrest.
It was learnt that Police had since handed him over to the officials of the Federal High Court Enugu in line with the Court Order for committal to Enugu Prison.
