The Federal High Court in Abuja recently criticized the Nigerian Police Force for the arrest and detention of a retired Chief Superintendent of Police and legal practitioner, Joseph Offor, over alleged professional misconduct. Offor, who worked in the legal/prosecution department of the force headquarters, was accused of insubordination and unauthorized disclosure of official secrets to a suspect, leading to his seven-day detention.
Offor filed a fundamental human rights lawsuit against the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Nigeria Police Force, and several officers involved in his arrest and detention. He claimed that his treatment during detention was dehumanizing and unconstitutional, violating his rights to dignity and personal liberty.
In response, the police denied the allegations, stating that Offor’s actions were deemed as misconduct, including compromising his duties by sharing sensitive information with a suspect. They argued that Offor’s behavior warranted his arrest and detention based on official secrecy laws governing police officers.
After reviewing the case, the court found Offor’s arrest and detention to be wrongful, illegal, and a violation of his fundamental rights. The judge ruled that there was no criminal basis for his arrest and criticized the police for detaining Offor before issuing an official query regarding the alleged misconduct.
As a result, the court declared Offor’s arrest and detention unconstitutional and awarded him damages of N100,000 against the respondents for violating his fundamental human rights.