Former Ondo lawmaker Arowele sues IGP over arrest before primaries

over arrest hours before primaries

By Dayo Johnson Akure 

Hon. Ayodeji Arowele, a two‑term member of the Ondo State House of Assembly and APC aspirant for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, has filed a lawsuit against the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force. The suit follows his arrest a few hours before the party’s primaries on 16 May 2026.

Arowele, represented by lawyer Chief Kunle Ijalana, lodged the complaint under Order 11 Rules 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules.

The defendants named in the case include the Nigeria Police Force, ASP Ebito Ephraim, CSP Hilary Mazi, and Mr Yusuf Sanya Isiaka, who is alleged to have instigated the petition against him.

In court, the former lawmaker argued that the arrest infringed on his fundamental rights to privacy, personal liberty and human dignity, as protected by Sections 36, 42 and 46 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

According to the court documents, roughly 30 police officers led by CSP Hilary Mazi and ASP Ebito Ephraim, claiming to be from the IGP Response Team, entered Arowele’s hotel room in Owo in a “Gestapo manner” without a warrant.

Arowele alleged that the officers rough‑handled him and brutalized his NSCDC security detail, with one operative losing a tooth.

He said he was taken away and detained for about six hours before being released on bail at the office of the Assistant Inspector‑General of Police, Zone 17, Akure. He was instructed to report to Abuja after the primaries.

The timing, he contended, was deliberate. “The primary election was ordinarily slated for the same day our client was arrested,” the petition read. Arowele was contesting the APC ticket for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election.

He further stated that, despite being released on bail and the case file being transferred to the Area Commander, Owo—under whose jurisdiction the alleged assault occurred—investigating officers have continued to threaten him and demand that he report in Abuja.

The lawsuit was filed less than 24 hours after Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, complained about the activities of Force Intelligence Department operatives in parts of the state.

Arowele seeks a declaration that the invasion of his hotel room was illegal and unconstitutional. He also requests that the court declare that the continuous threats of arrest, despite the case being transferred to Owo Area Command, constitute abuse of power and double jeopardy.

He is praying for a perpetual injunction restraining police officers from further arrest or harassment, and for N50 million in general damages for the violation of his rights to privacy and personal liberty.

In addition to the suit, Arowele has petitioned the IGP over the conduct of his men who invaded his hotel room on 16 May based on a petition against him. He says several police formations have arrested him over the same alleged offence.

The petition states: “Some policemen, numbering about 30, led by one CSP Maxi Hilary and Ebito Ephraim, who claimed to have come from the Inspector‑General of Police Response Team, invaded our client’s hotel at Owo in a Gestapo manner without a warrant of arrest and whisked him away.”

“Even though our client did not resist the arrest, but only asked for their warrant of arrest, they rough‑handled him, brutalized him; in the process, his personal security details, NSCDC operatives, were equally brutalized such that one of them lost his teeth.”

“However, our client was later released on bail at the office of the Assistant Inspector‑General of Police Zone 17, Akure after about six hours after he had made a statement, and he was instructed to come to their office in Abuja after his primary election.”

“It is instructive to know, sir, that our client was one of the aspirants contesting under the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in the 2027 General Election. The primary election was ordinarily slated for the same day our client was arrested.”

“Further, our brief was that our client was subsequently invited to the office of the Area Commander on the 10th of June, 2026, where he was informed by the Area Commander that he had been instructed by your office to cause an investigation into a petition against him by one Mr Yusuf Sanya Isiaka.”

Ijalana added that despite the fact that his client had been released on bail, and the case taken over by the Area Commander, Owo, the investigating officers have been calling him repeatedly to come to Abuja.