Journalist Azuka Ogujiuba Decries Police Harassment Over Court Judgement Report

•Urges IGP to end intimidation of the media

Wale Igbintade

Award-winning journalist and founder of Media Room Hub, Azuka Ogujiuba, has recounted her traumatic arrest and harassment by police officers following her publication of a Lagos High Court ruling.

At a world press conference held yesterday in Lagos, Ogujiuba said her only “offence” was performing her duty as a journalist by publishing a duly signed court ruling, a report that had also been published by several mainstream outlets.

She stated, “This is bigger than me. Today it is Azuka; tomorrow it could be another journalist. If court judgements and rulings can no longer be safely reported, then we are heading into dangerous territory for democracy.”

Ogujiuba disclosed that she received a formal invitation from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Special Investigation Unit (SIU) in Abuja, summoning her for questioning.

The letter, issued under Section 53(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2025, stated that her name featured prominently in the case and urged her to appear on July 22, 2025, at 11am at the IGP-SIU office, opposite Force Headquarters, Abuja.

She expressed concern that the police were being drawn into what she described as a purely civil matter, calling it an abuse of law enforcement powers and a tactic that often intimidates ordinary Nigerians — despite IGP Kayode Egbetokun’s earlier warnings against misuse of police authority.

Ogujiuba linked her ordeal to a court order in which Justice E.O. Ashade had restrained certain parties and their agents from trespassing, selling, or dealing with a disputed four-hectare parcel of land at Hampton Estate, Osapa, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The order also allowed publication in the media to warn buyers, pending the hearing of the substantive suit.

She stated that the court had since vacated that interim order but insisted that her publication was accurate and based on the valid order as of the date it was published.

Calling on Egbetokun to intervene, she expressed confidence in his integrity and leadership, stating that the police boss has repeatedly cautioned police officers against being used to settle private disputes.

She sai, “I have no problem honouring a police invitation, but what worries me is that this is clearly a civil dispute that has already been decided by a court.

“IGP Egbetokun must ensure that the police are not dragged into personal battles.”

Ogujiuba narrated how her ordeal began a month after the publication, when she received a WhatsApp message from the IGP’s office, summoning her over allegations of “cyberbullying”, an accusation she called “absurd and malicious.”

She honoured the first invitation but was warned by colleagues not to attend a second.

 “I told them I had nothing to hide and that I was already on police administrative bail. I believed in due process – until armed policemen stormed the location where I was conducting an interview, blocked the gate, and tried to snatch my phone before taking me away,” she said.

She said the arresting officer seized her phone and prevented her from contacting her editor or lawyer.

“I went there with a lawyer from our law office,” she explained. “Because of the lawyer’s presence, the police had no choice but to follow due process. I was granted bail that same day, the bail conditions were perfected, and I was released.”

But two days later, police officers allegedly returned to her residence in what she described as a “gangster-like operation.”

“They invaded my personal space without a warrant, picked me up like a common criminal, and even injured me in the process,” she said.

Ogujiuba further revealed that she was taken to Asokoro Police Station in Abuja, where she was detained without any warrant of arrest and refused the opportunity to communicate with her relatives.

“This was despite the fact that I had been granted bail on the same issue only two days earlier,” she added.

She also alleged that she was denied access to her lawyers during the second arrest.

“I made several attempts to contact my legal representatives, but they blatantly refused to let me speak to them. They acted with complete impunity,” she said.

Ogujiuba said she eventually regained her freedom and returned to Lagos to recover from the trauma.

She said, “Just when I thought it was over, I was served a memorandum of claim, threatening to sue me for defamation and other baseless allegations. It was a further attempt to silence me and compound my ordeal.”

She condemned what she called an “abuse of police powers,” stressing that the police should not intervene in commercial disputes.

“I have confidence in the integrity and uprightness of the IGP. He has previously warned officers against such misuse of power, but unfortunately, some still do it for money and favours,” she added.

Her lawyer, Kehinde Ebitanmi, said, “This matter arose from a land transaction between two companies. The police should not be used as tools for harassment over civil disputes. The Supreme Court has made this clear.”

Ebitanmi urged Egbetokun to investigate and hold the officers involved accountable.

He said, “The police are meant to protect lives and property, not intimidate innocent citizens. I have confidence in the integrity of the IGP, and I urge him to put an end to this misuse of police authority.”

He warned that if such acts continued, ordinary Nigerians could face similar harassment in civil matters that should be resolved in court.

Meanwhile, the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have all condemned Ogujiuba’s treatment, warning that such acts endanger press freedom and erode public trust in law enforcement.