The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) recently affirmed that “the Nigeria Police Force is not and will never become an enforcer for private interests. Officers have no business escorting parties on land recovery, disrupting legally existing occupations, or meddling in civil claims without demonstrable criminal elements.”
It was a welcome and timely statement – one that resonated strongly with Nigerians who have long decried the misuse of police powers for personal disputes.
Yet what is happening within the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, in the case of Mr. Joseph Edeh, stands in embarrassing contradiction to this noble declaration.
Despite multiple pending civil and matrimonial cases in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu – and despite a subsisting order of the Federal High Court directing all parties to maintain status quo ante – officers of the FCID, allegedly acting at the behest of Mr. Edeh’s estranged wife, continue to harass him in a matter that is purely civil.
If the Nigeria Police Force “will never become an enforcer for private interest,” this ongoing conduct must be urgently addressed.
Civil disputes belong in the courts, not in police offices.
On 5 November 2025, the Open Society on Justice Reform Project (OSJRP) and the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) submitted a joint petition to the IGP urging compliance with the court order. Samuel Akpologun, the Director of OSJRP, further engaged the Deputy Commissioner of Police handling the case. Instead of de-escalation, the police escalated.
On 11 November 2025, officers under DCP Rita Emesime Oyintare wrote to several banks directing them to freeze all accounts linked to Mr. Edeh, deactivate his electronic banking channels, place Post No Debit restrictions, and – shockingly – arrest anyone found operating the accounts. Banks were instructed to hand such persons over to designated FCID officers.
This is not only unconstitutional and unlawful; it is the very definition of the “private-interest enforcement” the IGP cautioned against.
To further justify these actions, the officers relied on a questionable ex parte order obtained from a Nasarawa State High Court – a jurisdiction with no connection to the parties, transactions, or disputes. This is classic forum shopping, clearly intended to circumvent the binding order of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The fallout is severe:
– violation of a court order,
– abuse of police powers,
– interference with judicial proceedings,
– infringement of constitutional rights, and
– devastating economic harm to a private citizen whose business accounts were crippled without lawful basis.
This is not policing. It is persecution – and it directly undermines the IGP’s stated commitment to professionalism and neutrality.
The Police Act 2020 makes it clear that officers must not intervene in civil disputes without a criminal element. The Constitution protects the rights to liberty, property, and fair hearing. These are not optional principles.
The Police Service Commission and the National Human Rights Commission must act decisively. They must order an immediate halt to all actions against Mr. Edeh, ensure compliance with the Federal High Court order, and investigate the officers involved.
Nigeria cannot afford a police force that operates by one doctrine in public statements and another in practice. The IGP must ensure that his commendable declaration is not reduced to empty rhetoric.
A police force that can be hijacked for private vendettas is a danger to every Nigerian. The rule of law depends on matching words with action.
Okechukwu Nwanguma
