The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene before Monday and order an independent review of multiple, overlapping police investigations targeting a Lagos businessman, warning that he risks being subjected to “serial arrests, detention, searches and seizures” over what may be substantially the same underlying dispute.
RULAAC, in a letter dated 26 September addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, said the case involves Timothy Chika Odoh, also known as Chika Onwa Odo, who has been issued a fresh invitation by the Nigeria Police Force’s Zone 2 Command in Onikan, Lagos. According to the letter, the invitation dated 23 September 2026 directs Odoh to report to the Officer-in-Charge of Zonal Rescue Squad 1 on Monday, 28 September, over allegations of conspiracy, stealing, threat to life and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
RULAAC noted that the document does not name the complainant, specify the property allegedly stolen, identify the person allegedly threatened, or give dates for the alleged offences.
RULAAC said the new invitation is the latest in a string of related investigations spanning Zone 2 Command, the FCID Annex at Alagbon, and the Lagos State Police Command.
The group said Zone 2 had investigated Odoh in 2025 over allegations that he was in possession of telecommunications batteries said to belong to ATC, a case that led to him being charged in court. In 2026, it said, a separate probe by FCID Annex Alagbon examined allegations involving telecommunications equipment, resulting in the arrest of people at Odoh’s business premises who were later paraded publicly alongside exhibits including batteries and surveillance cameras.
The organisation said it has previously flagged several issues to senior police officials requiring independent verification, among them the origin of petitions filed against Odoh, possible links between current and earlier complainants, alleged tampering with CCTV equipment, questions over the provenance of seized items, alleged financial demands, and the possibility of retaliation connected to Odoh’s decision to seek help from a human-rights body. RULAAC stressed these remain unproven allegations, not facts.
The letter said the situation escalated on 22 September when Odoh’s wife, Ogechi Juliet Chika, was arrested at the couple’s residence and the family’s Lexus vehicle was reportedly taken.
She was released after the intervention of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, but RULAAC said the circumstances of her arrest and the basis for seizing and retaining the vehicle still require clarification.
RULAAC said the key question is whether the fresh Zone 2 invitation represents a genuinely new complaint backed by independent evidence, or another iteration of the same dispute moving between police units. It said that question “should be answered before another cycle of arrest, detention, searches or seizure of property begins.”
The organisation was careful to note that consolidating the cases should not become a way of shielding a suspect from legitimate scrutiny if the complaints do concern separate incidents with independent evidence, it said, they should proceed to investigation and prosecution.
RULAAC asked the IGP to direct that all related case files from Zone 2, FCID Annex Alagbon and the Lagos State Police Command be consolidated and reviewed by an independent team under Force Headquarters, and to retrieve and compare the 2025 Zone 2 case and court records with the current allegations. It called for the review to determine whether the cases involve separate incidents or overlapping claims, verify the role of complainants and informants, authenticate petitions, and independently trace the disputed telecom equipment, as well as examine the CCTV interference allegations, claims of financial demands or retaliation, the arrest of Odoh’s wife, and the vehicle seizure.
The group suggested that ownership disputes over the batteries and equipment be resolved using verifiable records, serial numbers, asset registers, incident reports and disposal records, while Odoh should also be required to show documentation of how he came to possess the goods in question.
RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, who signed the letter, said the organisation was not asking police to take sides between Odoh and his accusers.
“We are asking the Police to choose evidence, fairness and due process,” the letter states. It added that if credible evidence implicates Odoh or others in vandalism, theft, conspiracy or handling stolen property, that evidence should go before a court.
Conversely, if the review finds that the same allegations were repeatedly recycled across police formations, or that police processes were used to pressure or retaliate against Odoh, RULAAC said disciplinary or criminal action should follow against those responsible. It also called for the release of anyone held without lawful basis and the return of any property that cannot be credibly tied to a specific offence.
With Odoh due before Zone 2 Command on Monday, RULAAC said it was pressing the IGP to act urgently to coordinate and independently review the overlapping cases, arguing this would protect the interests of complainants, suspects and investigators alike, while preserving the police force’s institutional credibility.
