A civil society organisation, The Advocates For Social Justice, has formally petitioned the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Police Service Commission, accusing a Divisional Police Officer in Ogun State of illegal arrest, unlawful detention, and gross misconduct.
The petition alleges that DPO Kazeem Ajibade of the Igbogila Divisional Police Station orchestrated the “unlawful, barbaric and ruthless” arrest of two men, Mr Adeyemi Semiu and Mr. Akinwande Muftau, in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
According to the document, officers led by an individual identified as Officer Wasiu stormed the men’s homes at approximately 3:35 a.m. and arrested them while they were sleeping. The group contends that this action is a flagrant violation of the citizens’ fundamental rights as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
The incident is reportedly linked to a civil dispute over a family-owned cocoa plantation. The petition states that the arrested men had previously approached one Mr Ezekiel, who was allegedly occupying their family’s farmland illegally, and had also instructed their lawyer to formally issue a notice for him to vacate the property.
The Advocates For Social Justice claims the police were used as “instruments of harassment, intimidation, and oppression” in a purely civil matter, contrary to Section 32 (2) of the Nigeria Police Act, which prohibits arrest for civil wrongs or breach of contract.
“It will interest you to know the rate at which the Nigeria Police Officers are giving themselves to be used… especially in land matters,” the petition read in part. “When money is involved, they don’t consider the legal implications of the matter.”
The organisation called for the “swift intervention” of the police high command for the immediate and unconditional release of the two men “at no bail cost.”
Furthermore, the group is demanding that the officers involved be dismissed from the force to protect the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force.
Copies of the petition were sent to the highest levels of Nigeria’s justice and police administration. The Ogun State Police Command has yet to issue a public statement on the allegations.
