Two civil society organizations, the Open Society on Justice Reform Project (OSJRP) and the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), have petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over what they described as the continued harassment and abuse of power by officers of the Nigeria Police Force against a businessman, Mr. Joseph Edeh, in defiance of a subsisting court order.
In a joint petition addressed to the Chairman of the PSC and the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, and copied to the Inspector-General of Police, the groups accused police officers at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, of escalating unlawful actions against Mr Edeh at the instigation of his estranged wife, Mrs Gloria Edeh.
According to the petition, the police actions, which include freezing all of Mr Edeh’s bank accounts and issuing “arrest on sight” orders to banks, violate an interlocutory order issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1591/2023, directing all parties to maintain the status quo ante pending the determination of ongoing proceedings.
The organisations noted that several civil and matrimonial cases between the estranged couple are currently before competent courts in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu, covering all issues now being pursued through police intervention.
These include Suit No. MIK/1138/2022 before the Magistrate Court of Lagos State, Ogba, filed by Mrs Edeh seeking to compel the sale and sharing of proceeds from her husband’s company; Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1591/2023 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where Mr Edeh sued the Inspector-General of Police and others for violating his rights; Suit No. ID/1439HD/2024 at the High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja, involving divorce and property division; and Suit No. FHC/E/CS/161/2023 before the Federal High Court, Enugu, in which Mr Edeh is seeking the removal of his estranged wife as a director and shareholder of his company.
The petitioners stressed that all these matters are sub judice and that the continued interference of the police amounts to contempt of court and a violation of due process.
OSJRP and RULAAC expressed dismay that instead of complying with their earlier petition to the Inspector-General of Police on November 5, 2025, and subsequent engagement with a Deputy Commissioner of Police at FCID, the police allegedly intensified their actions against Mr Edeh.
They cited documentary evidence showing that on November 11, 2025, the FCID, under the supervision of DCP Rita Emesime Oyintare, wrote to several banks directing them to freeze all accounts associated with Mr Edeh, supply account-opening details, and restrict transactions.
The police also reportedly instructed the banks to arrest anyone attempting to operate the accounts.
The groups alleged that the police relied on an ex parte order obtained from the High Court of Nasarawa State on the same day, which they described as jurisdictionally flawed and collusively procured to bypass the existing order of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
They accused the FCID of forum shopping, abuse of court process, and deliberate defiance of judicial authority.
The petition identified several violations arising from the police actions, including contempt of court for disregarding the Abuja court’s order to maintain the status quo, abuse of police powers through interference in a civil and matrimonial dispute contrary to the Police Act 2020, and violation of constitutional rights such as liberty, property, and fair hearing as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
It also noted that the unlawful freezing of business accounts has crippled Mr Edeh’s business and inflicted severe financial and reputational harm.
The human rights groups urged the PSC and NHRC to take decisive action to uphold the rule of law by halting all police actions against Mr Edeh pending court determinations, enforcing the Federal High Court’s order for parties to maintain the status quo, and investigating officers involved in the alleged abuses.
They also called for the issuance of policy directives to prevent the misuse of police authority in civil or matrimonial disputes.
“The continued harassment of Mr Joseph Edeh despite multiple pending cases, a subsisting court order, and direct engagement with police leadership constitutes a flagrant abuse of power and a gross violation of fundamental human rights,” the petition stated.
OSJRP and RULAAC called on the oversight bodies to ensure accountability within the police system and restore public confidence in law enforcement through prompt and transparent action.
Attachments referenced in the petition include a joint petition to the IGP dated November 5, 2025, a certified true copy of the court order issued on November 18, 2024, police letters to banks directing the freezing of accounts, the Nasarawa ex parte order of November 11, 2025, and correspondence from banks implementing the police instructions.
