The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has raised strong concerns over what it described as the increasing misuse of Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies through trumped-up charges, extortion, and malicious prosecutions.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the group pointed to the case of Mr. Eme Alfred Friday as a disturbing example of how the police are being weaponised against innocent citizens.
According to RULAAC, fabricating allegations such as armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, cultism, or membership of proscribed groups has become a deeply entrenched pattern within the Nigerian police. It said such allegations are often instigated by business competitors, political adversaries, or other private interests seeking to intimidate or silence their rivals.
The group recounted that on June 26, 2025, operatives from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Enugu State Police Command stormed Friday’s residence in Lagos without a warrant. He was taken away in the presence of his family, while the police later denied any knowledge of his arrest.
For several days, his wife and relatives desperately searched for him without success. A discreet phone call later revealed that he was secretly being detained in Enugu.
RULAAC condemned this as a case of “enforced disappearance,” stressing that Friday was unlawfully held incommunicado for more than a month. The group said this violated Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees that any arrested person must be arraigned within 48 hours.
Efforts to make the case public, according to RULAAC, were met with threats and intimidation. “His wife was warned to stay quiet or her husband would face fresh charges. His lawyer was also harassed and accused of leaking details to RULAAC,” the group revealed.
When Friday was finally brought to court, he faced fabricated charges and was wrongly branded a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). RULAAC said his legal team was deliberately denied timely access to the charge sheet, while court officials allegedly colluded with the police to frustrate his defence.
The group linked his ordeal to a wider trend of abuse across the South-East, where citizens are arbitrarily labelled IPOB members to justify arrests and extortion.
RULAAC also cited similar cases, such as that of Jude Nwoye Anokwu, who was abducted over a land dispute and falsely accused of IPOB membership; Gloria Okolie, who was kept as a domestic servant by the IRT despite favourable court rulings; and Thaddeus Ojokoh, who nearly faced execution at Tiger Base in Owerri for an alleged offence committed while he was already in police custody.
“Across the South-East and beyond, the IPOB tag has become a convenient tool for arbitrary arrests, torture, extortion, and malicious prosecutions,” RULAAC stated.
The organisation went further to accuse Anti-Kidnapping Units and Federal CID formations of operating like “predatory gangs” under the guise of law enforcement. It faulted the silence of police authorities, noting that petitions sent to both the Enugu Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police received no response, while the Police Service Commission acknowledged the complaints but failed to take action.
“This is not just about rogue officers,” the group insisted. “It is a systemic breakdown characterised by: criminal policing, with Anti-Kidnapping Units and FCID formations acting like predator gangs; weaponisation of courts, with collusion from court officials to obstruct justice; institutional silence, with police leaders ignoring complaints; and a collapse of oversight from bodies like the PSC, Ministry of Police Affairs, and the NHRC.”
The group demanded urgent steps, including the investigation, suspension, and prosecution of officers involved in the case—specifically naming Supol John Ilia of the Enugu Anti-Kidnapping Unit—for alleged abduction, torture, and malicious prosecution.
It also called for Mr. Friday to be freed from false charges, compensated for his unlawful detention, and publicly cleared of the damaging allegations. In addition, RULAAC urged a complete overhaul of Anti-Kidnapping Units with civilian oversight to curb abuse, as well as sanctions for magistrates and court officials found guilty of obstructing justice. It further demanded that the Attorney General enforce compliance with existing rulings in similar cases.
RULAAC warned that Friday’s ordeal is a reflection of Nigeria’s deepening crisis of justice and governance.
“If police can abduct a citizen, conceal his whereabouts, threaten his family, intimidate his lawyer, fabricate charges, and collude with courts—all with impunity—then no Nigerian is safe,” the group concluded.
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