A former member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr Ayodeji Arowele, has taken the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to court. This is over his alleged arrest before the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives primary election that took place last month.
Arowele, who ran for the APC primary for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, claims he was arrested just hours before the primary election on May 16, 2026. He says this was a violation of his rights as guaranteed under Sections 36, 42, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
In the court documents, which our correspondent received on Tuesday, the former two-term lawmaker is demanding N50 million in damages. He describes his arrest as unlawful and a breach of his rights.
The suit was filed under Order 11 (1), (2), (3), and (5) of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules. His lawyer, Chief Kunle Ijalana, named the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, ASP Ebito Ephraim, CSP Hilary Mazi, and Mr Yusuf Sanya Isiaka as respondents.
Arowele wants the court to declare that the police invasion of his hotel room on May 16, 2026, was illegal. He argues this violated his rights to privacy, personal liberty, and human dignity.
He specifically asked for “a declaration that the invasion of the applicant’s hotel room by officers of the first respondent, led by the second and third respondents, on the directive of the second respondent and at the instance of the fourth respondent under the guise of investigation, is unconstitutional, an abuse of power and an infringement on the applicant’s right to personal freedom.”
The claimant also wants the court to say that the police’s continued threat of arrest over the same issue is unconstitutional. He believes it is an abuse of power, especially since the case file was transferred to the Area Commander in Owo for investigation.
He went on to ask the court to rule that any further invitation, arrest, or threat of arrest related to the alleged assault case would be double jeopardy. He sees this as a violation of his right to personal liberty.
Arowele is also seeking a permanent injunction to stop the police officers from arresting, threatening, or inviting him over the allegation again.
Besides the court case, the former lawmaker has also written a petition to the IGP about the police officers who allegedly invaded his hotel room on May 16 after a complaint was made against him.
The petition states that several police units have invited or arrested him over the same allegation. It says, “Some policemen, numbering about 30 and led by CSP Hilary Mazi and ASP Ebito Ephraim, who claimed to be members of the Inspector-General of Police Response Team, invaded our client’s hotel in Owo in a Gestapo manner without a warrant of arrest and whisked him away.
“Even though our client did not resist arrest and only requested to see a warrant, he was rough-handled and brutalised. In the process, his personal security details, who are operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, were also assaulted, with one of them allegedly losing a tooth.
“However, our client was later released on bail at the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 17, Akure, about six hours after making a statement. He was told to report to their office in Abuja after the primary election.
“It is important to know that our client was one of the aspirants contesting under the All Progressives Congress for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 general elections. The primary election was scheduled for the same day he was arrested.
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