By his amended writ of summons and statement of claim, the plaintiff claims against the defendants herein, jointly and severally, the sum of ¢47,115 being the cost of 117 crates of fish and empty crates wrongfully seized from the plaintiff’s cold store at Takoradi by the first defendant-corporation per her agents or servants, the second, third and fourth defendants. The plaintiff, in addition, claims against the defendants damages for wrongful seizure of the said fish and for the disgrace, inconvenience and the ignominy brought upon. him. The plaintiff claims further, interest at the rate of eighteen and half per centum on the sum of ¢47,115 as from 26 October 1978 up to the date of final judgment.
The evidence before this court is that the plaintiff, a retired deputy superintendent of police, owns the African Grocery and Cold Store at Takoradi. The plaintiff buys and sells all types of fish. He used at times to obtain his supply of fish from the first defendant-corporation, the State Fishing Corporation, and at times from private boat owners and fish dealers, one of whom was a Mr. Narh. The plaintiff’s said cold store, where he stored and sold fish was operated by his own son, J. S. Fynn Jnr.
By the early hours of 26 October 1978, the plaintiff’s agent, J. S. Fynn Jnr. had obtained and purchased two consignments of fresh fish, red snappers, totalling 117 crates, from one John Tetteh Narh, a fisherman and the owner of a fishing boat. The first consignment of 55 crates of fresh fish, was bought on 23 October 1978 and the second consignment of 62 crates was bought on 26 October 1978. The plaintiff claims he has a standing order of fresh fish, red snappers, from the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation at Obuasi, and having therefore consigned all the 117 crates of fresh red snappers to his customers, the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation, he sent his agent, J. S. Fynn Jnr. out in the morning of the 26 October 1978, to buy rubber bags and empty crates for him to enable him get the consignment ready for conveyance to the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation at Obuasi.
The plaintiff was consequently in his cold store on 26 October 1978 at about 11.30 a.m. waiting for his son, when two policemen, one in uniform, entered the cold store with the second defendant, who was introduced as a security officer at the State Fishing Corporation; the two policemen were the third and fourth defendants respectively. The following is what the plaintiff said, among other things:
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