The Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, is facing a demand to appear before the Senate Public Accounts Committee following a petition alleging the unlawful confiscation, conversion, and sale of motorcycles belonging primarily to Northern (Hausa/Fulani) residents.
The petition was submitted by the Young Nigerian Rights Organisation (YNRO), a registered civil rights and anti-corruption advocacy group.
The core of the allegation stems from the enforcement of the Delta State Government’s 2024 restriction on the use of motorcycles for public transportation.
According to YNRO, officers of the Delta State Police Command went beyond the scope of the directive by forcibly seizing private motorcycles from law-abiding Northern residents in areas like Ibusa, Oshimili North LGA.
The organisation alleges that instead of following the State Government’s directive to crush the seized bikes that violated the ban, the Police Command transported the motorcycles to police facilities and proceeded to sell them without a court-issued forfeiture order, without public auction notices, and critically, without remitting the proceeds from the alleged sales into government accounts.
YNRO argues that these actions constitute “grave violations” of Nigerian law. Specifically, they cite a contravention of Section 44(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which protects property rights.
Furthermore, the actions are alleged to violate Sections 12, 19, and 22(5) of the ICPC Act (2000), which deal with corruption, abuse of office, and improper disposal of public or confiscated assets. Finally, YNRO claims violations of Sections 24 and 25 of the Police Act (2020), relating to unlawful seizure and the failure to observe judicial oversight.
The Young Nigerian Rights Organisation, led by its National Coordinator, Comrade Victor Ojei, is urgently calling on the Public Accounts Committee to take specific actions. They demand that the Committee summon the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, to account for the total number of motorcycles confiscated since 2024, the legal basis for their seizure, and the whereabouts and utilisation of the proceeds from the alleged sale.
Additionally, YNRO requests the Committee to direct a joint audit and investigation in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. Their final demand is to ensure restitution for all affected citizens and recommend disciplinary action against officers found complicit in economic sabotage or corruption.
Comrade Ojei emphasised that the petition seeks to “protect public accountability, promote justice, and ensure that no segment of Nigerian citizens is unfairly targeted or economically disenfranchised under the guise of law enforcement.”
The organisation issued a strong warning, stating that “Any cover-up by State Actors in Delta State will trigger immediate and more criminal complaints to the ICPC, a forensic audit, more expository to the National Assembly for more summonses, civil suits for restitution, and public exposure.” They also warned the Command to preserve all records to avoid obstruction of justice charges.
