An Abuja-based lawyer, Myson Nejo, has filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adewole, accusing him of violating his rights to liberty, dignity, and property.
Mr. Nejo filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging that Mr. Adewole and other police officers targeted him after he exposed an alleged case of crude oil theft in Rivers State.
The suit, filed through his counsel, Vincent Adodo, names several respondents, including the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Police Service Commission, the Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Adewole in both his official and personal capacity, Olumagba Adewale T., Commander of the CP X-Squad/Surveillance Unit in Port Harcourt, Raymond Udoka, Jide Afolabi Olayiwola, and Mathern Energy Products and Allied Services Ltd.
In his application, Mr. Nejo alleged that the police, acting on Mr. Adewole’s directives, have been threatening to arrest, detain, and parade him over what he described as “fabricated allegations of kidnapping and terrorism.”
He further claimed that his personal and corporate bank accounts were unlawfully frozen without a valid court order. The affected accounts, according to the suit, are his personal First Bank account and the Guaranty Trust Bank account of his law firm, Myson Law Practice.
Filed under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, the lawyer is asking the court to declare the police’s actions unlawful, unconstitutional, and in breach of his rights as guaranteed under Sections 34, 35, 41, 43, and 44 of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Mr. Nejo is seeking ₦100 million in general and punitive damages against the respondents for what he described as “egregious acts of threat, harassment, and intimidation.”
He is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the police and other respondents from further threatening, arresting, or harassing him, and an order compelling them to publish a public apology in at least two national newspapers.
“The threats, harassment, and attempted arrest of the applicant, as well as the freezing of his accounts, violate his fundamental right to own property as guaranteed under Section 44 of the Constitution,” the suit reads in part.
The case stems from a petition dated October 17, 2025, which Mr. Nejo addressed to President Bola Tinubu and copied to the Minister of Police Affairs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Police Service Commission.
In the petition, he accused Mr. Adewole of shielding one Jide Afolabi, Managing Director of Mathern Energy Products and Allied Services Ltd, from prosecution in a crude oil theft case while targeting him and his client for arrest.
According to the lawyer, the dispute originated in 2023 when Afolabi’s company chartered a tugboat, M/V Aya Oba Olori II, owned by Dandy Oluwayemi of Atis-Das Nigeria Ltd, to transport crude oil later found to have been illegally obtained.
While the vessel and crew were arrested, Afolabi allegedly fled and remained in hiding for nearly two years before resurfacing in May 2025. Nejo claimed that he alerted the Rivers State Police, leading to Afolabi’s arrest at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt, where he allegedly admitted liability and signed a memorandum of understanding to pay ₦40 million in compensation to Atis-Das Nigeria Ltd.
However, Nejo alleged that Commissioner Adewole later ordered Afolabi’s release and began targeting him and his client with false charges.
He further alleged that the police, acting under Mr. Adewole’s instruction, obtained an ex parte court order to freeze his accounts, despite Afolabi’s written admission of guilt.
“It is shocking that the same Jide Afolabi, who admitted his role in crude oil bunkering and signed an agreement to pay ₦40 million, has found refuge under the Commissioner of Police, while I, a legal practitioner who assisted the police, am now being framed for kidnapping,” he said.
Nejo said repeated petitions to the Inspector-General of Police received no response, prompting him to escalate the matter to the President. He urged President Tinubu to direct the Commissioner of Police to produce Afolabi before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, where he is facing trial in charge number FHC/PHC/215C/2024.
When contacted for comment, Commissioner Adewole denied the allegations, describing them as “cheap blackmail.”
“I don’t investigate cases; I only supervise when needed. Tell your complainant to speak to the investigating officer. This is cheap blackmail and defamation of my character,” Mr. Adewole said in a message.
The case, filed earlier this week, is expected to be assigned to a judge and scheduled for hearing at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the coming days.
Leave a Comment