A former Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly and aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, Hon. Ayodeji Arowele, has dragged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and three others before a court over his arrest on the eve of the party’s primary election held on May 16, 2026.
Arowele, a two-term lawmaker who represented Owo Constituency II in the Ondo State House of Assembly, is seeking N50 million in damages for what he described as a violation of his fundamental rights by police officers who allegedly arrested him at a hotel in Owo hours before the APC primary election.
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The suit, filed through his counsel, Chief Kunle Ijalana, pursuant to the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, names the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, ASP Ebito Ephraim, CSP Hilary Mazi, and Mr. Yusuf Sanya Isiaka as respondents.
In the originating motion, Arowele argued that his arrest and detention violated his fundamental rights guaranteed under Sections 36, 42, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The court action comes amid growing concerns over the activities of operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Ondo State.
Less than 24 hours before details of the suit became public, the Ondo State Government, through the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, expressed concern over the operations of some FID personnel in parts of the state.
Arowele is asking the court to declare that the invasion of his hotel room on May 16 by armed police officers was unlawful and amounted to a violation of his constitutional rights to privacy, personal liberty, and dignity of the human person.
He further contended that the operation, allegedly carried out on the directive of senior police officers and based on a petition lodged against him, constituted an abuse of power and an unconstitutional interference with his freedom.
Part of the reliefs sought by the applicant reads: “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 former lawmaker also urged the court to declare as unconstitutional the alleged continuous threats of arrest and repeated invitations issued to him by some of the respondents, despite the transfer of the case file to the Area Commander of Police in Owo, where the alleged offence was said to have occurred.
According to him, efforts to compel him to appear before police authorities in Abuja over the same matter amount to harassment, abuse of power, and a violation of his right to personal liberty.
He is seeking an order restraining the police from issuing further invitations, threats of arrest, or actual arrest in connection with the matter, insisting that such actions amount to double jeopardy and an abuse of investigative powers.
Arowele also prayed the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further interfering with his liberty in relation to the alleged assault case, as well as an award of N50 million as general damages for the alleged infringement of his constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, the former lawmaker has separately petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the conduct of officers involved in his arrest.
According to the petition, officers who claimed to be members of the Inspector-General of Police Response Team stormed his hotel in what was described as a “Gestapo manner” and arrested him without presenting a warrant.
The petition alleged that about 30 policemen, led by CSP Hilary Mazi and ASP Ebito Ephraim, invaded the hotel and whisked Arowele away despite his request to see a warrant authorising his arrest.
The petition further claimed that although Arowele did not resist arrest, he and his security aides attached from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were rough-handled during the operation.
According to the petition, one of the NSCDC operatives allegedly lost a tooth during the incident.
Arowele was later released on bail at the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 17, Akure, after making a statement. He was subsequently directed to report to police authorities in Abuja after the APC primary election.
The petition noted that Arowele was an aspirant in the APC primary for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency and that the arrest occurred on the same day the primary election was scheduled to take place.
It further stated that on June 10, 2026, Arowele was invited by the Area Commander in Owo and informed that the Inspector-General of Police had directed an investigation into a petition filed against him by Mr. Yusuf Sanya Isiaka.
His lawyer maintained that despite his client’s release on bail and the transfer of the matter to the Area Command in Owo, the investigating officers have continued to pressure him with repeated calls to appear in Abuja.
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