Human rights activist, Onwuka Chimezie, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, seeking an independent investigation into alleged abuse of police powers and human rights violations arising from a disputed land-enforcement exercise at Victory Estate, Rumuosi, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Chimezie, through his lawyer, Prince Wayne C.E., Principal Partner of WCE & Co. Chambers, made the request in a petition dated September 30, 2026, asking the IGP to investigate the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, and other police officers allegedly involved in the disputed operations.
The petition alleged wrongful deployment of police personnel to the land dispute, enforcement of a court judgment beyond its proper scope, destruction of properties, displacement of residents and alleged use of force against people at the estate.
The lawyers stated that their allegations were supported by documents, photographs, video recordings, witness accounts and police records, but urged the Inspector-General of Police to independently verify the claims rather than relying solely on the accounts of any of the parties involved.
At the centre of the dispute is Suit No. CCC/22/2015, involving Col. Ogwumerum Eke and another against Chief Friday Ibeabuchi Anya and others before the Customary Court, Choba.
The lawyers relied on a Police Investigation Report dated June 13, 2024, signed by DCP Aliyu Abubakar, who was then the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Port Harcourt.
According to the petition, the police investigation report distinguished between Agbada Esilaru farmland in Rumuagholu and Ohia Egbelu Nsumide and Ohia Egbelu Wokide in Rumuosi.
The lawyers alleged that the report established that the 2015 case and the judgment delivered on September 9, 2019, concerned Agbada Esilaru and did not extend to the Rumuosi locations where the disputed enforcement allegedly occurred.
They consequently asked the IGP to investigate the legal basis for the deployment of police personnel to Victory Estate on August 17 and 18, 2025.
They also requested that the investigation establish who authorised the deployments and whether police officers assisted private individuals in taking possession of properties allegedly outside the scope of the judgment.
The petition further called for an investigation into allegations that tear gas or other forms of force were used against residents during the disputed operations.
The lawyers specifically requested that officers allegedly involved in the exercise, including ASP Marcus Gah, be identified and questioned as part of the investigation.
They also demanded an examination of the legal advice relied upon by the Rivers State Police Command in authorising the April 7 and 8, 2025 deployment of police officers to protect a court bailiff during an earlier attempt to execute the judgment.
The lawyers asked that relevant police and operational records be preserved, including deployment orders, duty rosters, station diaries, operational logs, radio communications, use-of-force records, photographs, CCTV footage and other materials that could assist investigators in determining what happened.
The petition further claimed that more than 5,000 families were displaced and that properties were destroyed during the disputed enforcement, putting the preliminary claimed losses at N178 million.
The lawyers, however, stressed that the N178 million figure was not an adjudicated award and should be independently verified as part of any investigation into the allegations.
The latest petition comes after the Rivers State Police Command on September 21 denied allegations that CP Adepoju grabbed or facilitated the grabbing of land belonging to residents of Victory Estate, Rumuosi.
The Command described the allegation as “false and misleading” and maintained that Adepoju’s involvement was limited to providing security for a court bailiff after the judgment had been verified.
According to the police, the matter began after an application was received on March 6, 2025, from O. S. Obior, a lawyer acting for Kirigust Global Resources Nigeria Limited, requesting police protection for a court bailiff to execute the judgment in Suit No. CCC/22/2015.
The Command said the application was referred to its Department of Operations and Police Legal Section for verification, while the Customary Court, Choba, confirmed on March 21, 2025, that the judgment was valid and that there was no pending appeal or stay of execution.
The police said officers were subsequently deployed on April 7 and 8, 2025, solely to provide security for the court bailiff and were instructed not to participate physically in the execution.
However, according to the Command, residents of Victory Estate objected to the execution, arguing that although they did not dispute the validity of the judgment, the judgment concerned land in Rumuagholu Community and did not cover their properties in Victory Estate, Rumuosi.
The Command said Adepoju immediately halted the execution and directed the Police Legal Section to investigate the conflicting claims.
It said relevant parties were invited to present their positions, while the disputed location was inspected and photographs of damaged properties were taken.
The police further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment and the disputed survey/site plan were obtained from the Customary Court, Choba, and forwarded to the Surveyor-General of Rivers State for charting and geo-location.
According to the Command, the Surveyor-General subsequently confirmed that the area covered by the survey and site plan was within Rumuagholu Community and did not include Victory Estate, Rumuosi. The police therefore concluded that while the judgment itself was valid, its execution on the Victory Estate property was wrongful.
The Command also said its investigation uncovered alleged criminal offences arising from the wrongful execution and that several individuals were recommended for prosecution.
It disclosed that a nine-count charge, marked PHC/3683/CR/2025, was filed before the Rivers State High Court against Col. Ogwumerum Eke and others at large. The police also stated that Force Headquarters in Abuja investigated the matter and reportedly reached similar conclusions.
The Rivers Command has maintained that Adepoju neither grabbed, acquired nor took possession of any land belonging to Victory Estate, insisting that his role was limited to providing security for the court bailiff.
A separate suit, No. PHC/1467/FHR/2026, instituted by Col. Ogwumerum Eke and three others against the Nigeria Police Force and other defendants, is also pending before the Rivers State High Court, according to the Command.
The lawyers representing Chimezie said, however, that their petition was not asking the police to determine ownership of the disputed land or resolve the underlying civil dispute.
Rather, they said they wanted the IGP to establish whether police powers were lawfully exercised, whether officers acted within the scope of the relevant court judgment and whether any police personnel exceeded their lawful duties during the disputed operations.
They specifically requested that the investigation be conducted by an independent unit at Force Headquarters or another police command that was not involved in the disputed operations.
They also urged the Inspector-General of Police to take appropriate criminal, administrative or disciplinary action against any officer found to have violated the law or abused police powers.
The Rivers State Police Command has separately warned its officers against participating in land-related enforcement without proper authorisation and legal backing, stating that land disputes are civil matters that should be resolved through the courts.