Ex-Commissioner files lawsuit against Nigerian Police, seeks N5m damages over illegal arrest, detention
Ex-Commissioner files lawsuit against Nigerian Police, seeks N5m damages over illegal arrest, detention
Dr Fabian Ihekweme, a former Commissioner for Foreign and International Affairs in Imo, has filed a N5 million suit against the Nigerian Police Force at the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged unlawful arrest and detention.
Ihekweme, who was a commissioner in the first term of Gov. Hope Uzodinma, filed the suit marked: FHC/ABI/CS/1809/2024 through his lawyer, Kingdom Okere on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fundamental rights enforcement suit, dated and filed on Dec. 2, listed the Nigerian Police Force and Commissioner of Police (CP), Imo State Command, as 1st and 2nd respondents.
The applicant seeks an order of perpetual injunction restraining the police from further arresting, threat of adoption, detention, intimidation, assault and harassing him over frivolous and unsubstantiated allegation concerning his fundamental rights to freedom of expression.
He also wants an order of the court compelling and directing the defendants to immediately release or grant him bail, pending investigation or charge him to court, as stipulated in Sections 35(4) and (5) and 36 (1) of the 1999 Constitution.
He seeks “a declaration that his arrest on November 28, 2024 in Abuja in most strange, intimidating, threatening, embarrassing, bizarre and gestapo manner by the Police in Imo State Command, who assaulted him, constitutes an infringement of his fundamental human rights and that, his continuous detention by the police amounts to the violation of his fundamental human rights.”
Ihekweme further urged the court to declare that, denying him access to his team of lawyers by the police since Nov. 28, when he was arrested in Abuja and taken to Owerri, violated his fundamental human rights.
He, therefore, sought an order awarding the sum of N5 million as damages against the CP for his alleged harassment, assault and illegal detention.
In an affidavit of urgency deposed to by the wife of the applicant, Mrs Excel Ihekweme, she said her husband is managing a severe health condition and his continuous detention without access to medicare would worsen his health condition and endanger his life.
She averred “that the applicant is now suffering double jeopardy of unlawful detention and imminent health risk that could endanger his life.”
She said that the constitution provides for rights to fair trial within a reasonable time.
Mrs Ihekweme said her husband ought to have been released on administrative bail or charged to court, at least two days after his arrest as provided by the constitution.
She said the conduct of the respondents was arbitrary, illegal, unconstitutional, harsh, oppressive and void.
The suit is yet to be assigned to a judge as at the time of the report.(NAN)(www)
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Get rid of Terrorists within 90 days or resign from office – Adeboye tells Service Chiefs
Get rid of Terrorists within 90 days or resign from office – Adeboye tells Service Chiefs
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has called on Nigeria’s security chiefs to eliminate terrorists within 90 days or resign from office, amid growing concerns over insecurity across the country.
In a video shared on the church’s official X handle on Tuesday, Adeboye urged the Federal Government to take decisive and urgent steps to confront escalating attacks, kidnappings and killings in several parts of the country.
“If I were asked to make suggestions, I would say quietly to our government, move fast. And tell our security chiefs, get rid of these terrorists within 90 days, or resign,” Adeboye said.
The cleric noted that while religious leaders can only offer counsel to those in authority, the responsibility for national security ultimately rests with the Commander-in-Chief.
Adeboye referenced past efforts under former President Muhammadu Buhari, recalling that similar directives were issued to security chiefs to combat insurgency and banditry, though he said the targets were not fully achieved within the set timeframe.
In 2021, Buhari had instructed then-service chiefs to “take out” bandits, kidnappers and their sponsors, urging the military to adopt a more proactive approach in tackling insecurity.
Commenting on that period, Adeboye said the directive was not effectively implemented to completion.
“He ran with that advice, but he didn’t follow it through. Because he gave the order as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The three months went, and the work was not done,” he said.
The RCCG leader added that he later engaged the former president on the issue but declined to disclose details of their conversation.
He further urged the current administration to ensure that any renewed directive to security agencies should not only focus on neutralising armed groups but also on those financing and supporting them.
“When giving orders to the service chiefs this time around, we should make it clear to them that they are not only to eliminate the terrorists, they should eliminate their sponsors, no matter how influential they may be,” Adeboye added.
His remarks come amid renewed public concern over insecurity in parts of the country, following a series of recent abductions and attacks on schools and communities.
On May 15, gunmen reportedly attacked two schools in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, abducting several pupils and teachers, with one teacher later killed in captivity, according to reports circulating online.
Following the incident, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the deployment of 1000 Forest Guards and a specialised security unit with advanced rescue capabilities to intensify efforts to secure the release of the victims.
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Five police officers remanded in Prison over alleged murder
Five police officers remanded in Prison over alleged murder
Five police officers accused of involvement in the alleged killing of 28-year-old Delta State musician and delivery worker, Oghenemine Million Ogidi, popularly known as OG Millan, have been arraigned before a High Court in Asaba and remanded in custody pending further proceedings.
The officers were brought before High Court 5 sitting in Asaba in a case that has drawn public attention and renewed calls for accountability. Proceedings were held before Justice Marshal Onome Umukoro under Suit No. THC/ASB/CR/M/66C/2026.
The defendants include ASP Usman Nuhu (42), ASP Onoloko Dauroupamo (47), ASP Okoh Kelechi (46), Inspector Goodluck Kingsley (42), and Inspector Omonigho Ahweyevu (41).
The court ordered that the accused officers be remanded at the Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre pending further legal steps in the matter. Journalists were also reportedly barred from covering the proceedings.
The case was adjourned to June 15, 2026, for arraignment, following a request for legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
OG Millan was reportedly killed on April 26, 2026, after he was allegedly intercepted in Effurun, Delta State, while delivering a package said to contain a firearm and ammunition.
Following the court proceedings, the deceased’s elder brother, Victory Ogidi, expressed concern over what he described as poor communication between authorities and the family regarding the progress of the case.
He said the family had been left to depend on social media reports and unofficial sources for updates on both the investigation and court proceedings.
“We lost our brother, and we should not be relying on social media to know what is happening in a case that concerns us directly,” he said.
Victory called on the Delta State Attorney-General, the Ministry of Justice, and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure transparency and provide regular updates to the family, stressing that their demand was for information, not preferential treatment.
Human rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu described the arraignment as a step forward in the pursuit of justice and accountability in the case.
He said the court ordered that the suspects remain in custody while the DPP reviews the file and provides legal advice.
“Today, they finally produced the officers in court, including the principal suspect and others. The judge ordered that they remain in custody while the DPP reviews the case,” Gwamnishu stated.
He expressed hope that the legal process would be accelerated to ensure a full and transparent trial.
However, the activist raised concerns over allegations from the family that they had not been properly briefed on key developments in the investigation, including access to the autopsy report.
He also noted claims that there were attempts to restrict media coverage of the proceedings, including limitations placed on journalists seeking to observe the court session.
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30 days after opposition summit in Ibadan, plan to choose single presidential candidate collapses
30 days after opposition summit in Ibadan, plan to choose single presidential candidate collapses
Opposition political parties converged in Ibadan on April 25, and unveiled what was widely described as their most ambitious political strategy ahead of the 2027 general election: a commitment to rally behind a single presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The meeting, which drew major political actors across party lines, was intended to reshape Nigeria’s electoral dynamics and prevent the fragmentation of opposition votes that has historically weakened their chances at the polls.
At the time, the coalition argued that failing to present a united front would only reinforce the dominance of the ruling party, and they pledged to avoid internal divisions that had previously cost them electoral victories.
However, barely five weeks after the Ibadan accord, the unity project has effectively collapsed.
Instead of consolidating around one candidate, the opposition has fractured into multiple camps, each backing its own presidential flagbearer ahead of the 2027 contest.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) reportedly settled for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, while the Allied Peoples Movement (AMP) nominated Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
The Labour Party is said to have selected governance and policy expert Chibuzo Okereke, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) reportedly backed former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, is said to have chosen former President Goodluck Jonathan.
What was initially presented as a broad opposition coalition aimed at resisting what leaders described as “machinations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to foist a one-party state on Nigeria” has now devolved into competing political interests marked by mistrust and rivalry.
Political analysts say the breakdown of the single-candidate arrangement reflects deeper structural weaknesses within the opposition, particularly the inability of key stakeholders to prioritise collective strategy over personal ambition.
The Ibadan agreement was largely informed by the lessons of the 2023 presidential election, where a divided opposition vote between Atiku, Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso enabled Tinubu to secure victory with a plurality of votes.
Opposition strategists had argued that a unified front would be the most viable path to challenging the APC in 2027, forming the basis of the now-fractured agreement.
However, entrenched political interests soon resurfaced, undermining efforts at consensus-building.
Atiku is believed to remain confident in his national political reach and experience, while Obi continues to enjoy strong support among young voters who see him as a key opposition figure.
These competing ambitions ultimately made consensus difficult to achieve.
For months, opposition leaders had warned of an alleged APC strategy aimed at turning Nigeria into a one-party state. Ironically, analysts now argue that the most significant threat to opposition unity has emerged from within the coalition itself.
With multiple candidates now in the field, the ruling APC is expected to face a divided opposition rather than a single coordinated challenger in the 2027 presidential election.
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