IGP faces contempt for estate leader’s arrest despite pending court order

The leadership of the GTHomes Estate Residents Association in Lekki area, Lagos, has initiated  contempt proceeding against the Inspector General of Police, IGP, before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, over the arrest of the outgoing legal adviser of the association, Mr. Austin Akpomreta, despite a subsisting order for parties to maintain status quo.

Akpomreta was arrested by members of the police from the Police Monitoring Unit, Abuja on Wednesday last week and whisked to Abuja, despite a pending court order. 

The arrest came weeks after reports emerged that the IGP had cautioned police formations against the misuse of police processes in matters with clear civil underpinnings and against practices that could encourage forum shopping by complainants dissatisfied with outcomes at other police formations.

Akpomreta, who is one of the applicants in a suit pending before the Federal High Court, Lagos, was reportedly picked up on Wednesday morning despite a subsisting court order directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the application before the court.

He was said to be on his way to an unrelated court hearing when accosted by operatives of the Police Monitoring Unit and transported to Abuja. The arrest is reportedly in respect of the same dispute that is the subject of ongoing fundamental rights proceedings before the court, following disagreements relating to estate administration and utility services.

The suit was instituted following concerns over repeated attempts by a resident,  to use various police formations across Lagos and Abuja in relation to a dispute that multiple police commands and formations had reportedly regarded as civil in nature but was being framed as criminal, to invoke police involvement.

All respondents in the matter, including the IGP, the Police Service Commission, and the investigating police officer in the matter, are said to have been duly served with the originating court processes as well as the order of the court directing parties to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the application.

Akpomreta wife, Faith, said her husband’s arrest while the court order remains in force, “raises serious questions about compliance with judicial processes.

 and respect for the authority of the court.”

The applicants have consistently maintained that the issues in dispute are civil in nature and are properly suited for determination by a court of competent jurisdiction and are urging all institutions and parties connected with the matter to respect the authority of the Federal High Court and allow the judicial process to run its course without intimidation, harassment, or actions capable of rendering the court proceedings nugatory.

Alleged $2.1m land deal: Lawyers bicker over case against Wike’s son

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA — Two senior lawyers have engaged in a war of words over the ongoing case concerning an alleged $2.1million Abuja land transaction involving Jordan Nyesom-Wike, son of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Jordan’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu Onoja, SAN, accused Ibrahim Waru, counsel to the claimants, of distorting the facts of the case with lies which, he said, were aimed at tarnishing the reputation of his client, who, he said, openly denied any involvement in the alleged land racket during his court appearance.

He insisted that his client neither had any transaction with the claimants nor admitted collecting the money. 

“This haze of lies and malicious fabrication appears to be an orchestrated media campaign intended to whip up sentiments, compromise the mind of the public and intimidate the judge.

“For the record, Jordan Wike, in his defence before the court, stated in unequivocal terms that he has never met Safwan Garba G.Y. or any of his agents at any time.

“He maintained this line of defence while giving evidence in court on September 28 and 30, 2026. One, therefore, wonders why a lawyer would grant interviews to misrepresent what transpired in court weeks after the proceedings.

“It is baffling that this interview by I.G. Waru was granted this week at the Federal High Court, Abuja, close to a month after the proceedings at the FCT High Court. It is clearly the source of defamatory comments, unfounded claims and unproven conclusions being made on social media by ignorant members of the public,” Onoja, SAN, added in a statement he made available to journalists.

However, reacting to the statement, yesterday, Waru insisted that his clients were in possession of the signature of Wike’s son on the acknowledgement receipt for the $2.1million paid for the disputed land.

Waru said the interview was granted to sensitise members of the public to the honest and true facts of what actually transpired, in light of the distorted facts widely and wrongly circulated on social media.

According to him, nothing said in the interview was contemptuous, conclusive, undermining or overreaching.

“Despite the claim of Jordan Wike denying ever knowing or meeting Safwan Garba GY, the WhatsApp chats, whose number Jordan Wike admitted to be his, not only confirmed the familiarity between the duo but also established discussion and understanding regarding the giving and taking of the sum of $2.1million, the subject in contention.”

He said it was common knowledge that a civil case is distinct from a criminal case and that both can be pursued concurrently