Police Arrest Activist Chimezie In Abuja After Criticising Rivers CP Adepoju For Alleged Land Grabbing
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Date of OccurrenceSeptember 5, 2026
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State/CountryAbuja Municipal, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Description
Armed policemen on Friday arrested a social media critic and activist, Onwuka Chimezie, in Abuja for allegedly calling out the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, over alleged complicity in land grabbing in the state.
Sahara Reporters learnt that Chimezie was reportedly arrested at about 3pm at Lugbe Federal Housing Estate, Abuja, by five armed men dressed in plain clothes who identified themselves as officers of the Rivers State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad.
According to sources, the officers arrived in an unmarked Toyota Camry and allegedly bundled the activist into the vehicle by force.
Sahara Reporters gathered that the policemen allegedly used a house agent with whom Chimezie had been communicating to lure him to the area under the pretext of helping him inspect a house for rent.
A source who witnessed the incident said the whereabouts of the activist remained unknown as of the time of filing this report, adding that attempts to establish contact with him had been unsuccessful.
He was arrested by about five policemen in mufti, carrying short guns. They said they were from the Rivers State Anti-Kidnapping Unit and showed me his photograph on their phone, saying he had offended many people in Port Harcourt.
“I wanted to bring out my phone to record the scene, but they stopped me and threatened me,” the source said.
The arrest reportedly followed recent comments by Chimezie in a post and video and on his Facebook page, where he accused the Rivers State Commissioner of Police of allegedly conniving with one Colonel Eke Ogwumerum to fraudulently seize residents’ properties at Rumuagholu Town in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
Chimezie alleged that Ogwumerum, accompanied by hoodlums and allegedly backed by the police, invaded the community and bulldozed properties while claiming to be executing a judgment of the Choba Customary Court.
According to the activist, the court judgment allegedly had no connection with the properties that were demolished.
He further alleged that residents were attacked, harassed and brutally assaulted during the operation.
“Land grabbing seems to have become the new goldmine in Rivers State, as the Commissioner of Police in the state has made himself a deliberate instrument in the hands of criminals who go about grabbing people’s lands by force, with police backing.
“It is very disturbing that a Commissioner of Police who was posted to Rivers State to fight criminality is now the one enabling crimes and indulging in conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace by assigning police officers to land grabbers to continue grabbing people’s properties with brutal force.
“I call on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to call the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State to order. If not, we will very much help the public image of the Nigeria Police Force on this internet space,” Chimezie wrote on his Facebook page.
The FCT Police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, was unavailable for comment when Sahara Reporters reached out to her, as her mobile phone was unreachable.
Details
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State/CountryAbuja Municipal
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PerpetratorRivers State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad.
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Source
Location
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Abuja Municipal, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
