The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Nyanya-Karu Branch has filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja on behalf of its member, Abuja-based legal practitioner, Nneka Asadu,Esq demanding her immediate release from detention, a public apology, and ₦100 million in damages from the Nigeria Police Force and its top officers. The fundamental rights enforcement case highlights what the branch describes as a “blatant violation” of constitutional safeguards against arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention.
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Asadu, a member of the NBA Nyanya-Karu Branch, was invited for questioning by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) via a letter dated October 8, 2025, signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Nwigwe Angus. The invitation sought clarifications on her alleged role in a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) matter involving the Aleto Clan Association, an incorporated trustee, where police claim unauthorized changes to its trustees amounted to forgery.
Honoring the invitation on October 9, Asadu arrived at the FID office in Area 10, Garki, Abuja, accompanied by the branch’s Secretary, Mazi Echika Ejido, and Social Secretary, Chiemela Ozioma Amalaha. Despite providing a statement as requested, she was unexpectedly arrested, detained, and locked in a cell, according to court documents. Efforts by the NBA Nyanya-Karu Branch executives to secure administrative bail were rebuffed, even after Ejido identified himself and assured police of Asadu’s availability for further questioning.
The branch escalated the matter to the NBA National Secretariat, with interventions from the National Secretary of the NBA Litigation Committee and NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN. Despite these pleas, DIG Benjamin Nebolisa Okolo, ACP Nwigwe Angus, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Segun Aderoju, and Superintendent of Police (SUPOL) Michael — the investigating police officer (IPO) — allegedly insisted on her continued detention until she produced another lawyer, Barrister Amala, mentioned during interrogation. No formal charges have been filed, and police have not produced a valid court order justifying the detention, according to the suit.
In the originating motion on notice, filed under Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2175/2025, and supported by an affidavit from litigation assistant Emmanuel Chukwunonso, the branch argues on behalf of Asadu that her five-day detention exceeds the 24-hour constitutional limit under Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It contends that the detention violates her rights to personal liberty, dignity, fair hearing, privacy, and freedom of movement, as enshrined in Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, and 41, as well as Articles 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The suit names as respondents the Nigeria Police Force; Inspector-General of Police; Commissioner of Police (Legal); DIG Okolo; ACP Angus; CSP Aderoju; and SUPOL Michael. Key reliefs sought include:
- Declarations that the arrest, detention, and reliance on a Magistrate Court remand order are illegal and unconstitutional, as inferior courts lack jurisdiction to authorize investigative detentions under Section 35.
- An order for her immediate release.
- A directive for a public apology in two national dailies.
- ₦100 million in general and exemplary damages from each respondent, totaling ₦700 million.
- A perpetual injunction barring further arrests without charges.
Chukwunonso’s affidavit details Asadu’s dehumanizing conditions in custody at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Area 11, Garki, visited on October 14. It notes the proximity of courts like the FCT High Court Garki Division (less than 1 km away) and the Federal High Court Maitama (under 3 km), underscoring the police’s failure to charge her promptly.
The suit, filed yesterday at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, was instituted through a member of the Branch acting pro bono on behalf of Barrister Nneka Asadu. In a letter dated October 14, 2025, Branch Secretary Ejido formally authorized the action on behalf of the Branch to protect Asadu’s rights and send a message against police impunity toward legal professionals.
“This act clearly constitutes a gross violation of her fundamental rights under the 1999 Constitution,” the letter states, emphasizing the branch’s repeated interventions and the absence of due process. The branch, known as “The Innovative Bar,” with its address at Block 2, Highlife Agric Quarters, Karu, FCT Abuja, has rallied behind Asadu, viewing her ordeal as an assault on the legal profession.
The legal team, led by executive members of the Nigerian Bar Association Nyanya Branch, urged the court to hear the motion “so soon thereafter” as counsel can be heard, invoking the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 and the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
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