Lawyer Seeks IGP’s Intervention over Suspect’s Continued Detention Despite Court Order

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

A legal practitioner, Edeh Uchenna has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu seeking his intervention over the continued detention of one Godwin Francis Akpan, despite an order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory directing his immediate release.
In a petition dated September 24, 2026 and addressed to the IGP, the lawyer urged the Nigeria Police Force to comply with the order of the FCT High Court in Suit No. CV/4013/26, issued on September 17, 2026, directing that Akpan be released from police custody.
The lawyer said Akpan’s detention arose from a police investigation involving a dispute between his employer and another company, stressing that the underlying matter was essentially a commercial/civil dispute.
According to the petition, Akpan was detained in connection with allegations of criminal conduct but had not been charged before a court.
The legal practitioner acknowledged that the police have legitimate powers to investigate alleged offences, but argued that such powers must operate within the framework of due process, individual liberty and respect for judicial authority.
The petitioner described a court order as an expression of judicial authority which, until lawfully set aside, varied or stayed by a competent court, requires compliance by those concerned.
He, therefore, called for immediate compliance with the FCT High Court’s release order, while urging that any outstanding investigative issue be pursued through lawful and transparent procedures.
The petitioner also called for the constitutional and legal rights of Akpan and other affected persons to be respected, and for the underlying commercial and investigative issues to be handled through appropriate legal and institutional channels.
The lawyer stated that the petition was not seeking to prevent the police from investigating the allegations against Akpan.
“We are not seeking immunity from investigation,” the petitioner stated, adding that it was not asking any institution to determine the merits of the underlying commercial dispute outside the appropriate forum.
The lawyer argued that investigation and due process should co-exist, insisting that an individual’s liberty should not become collateral to a commercial disagreement and that a subsisting order of a competent court should receive the obedience and respect required by law.
According to the petitioner, the police could continue any lawful investigation, while the courts could determine matters properly brought before them just as relevant oversight institutions could examine complaints within their mandates.
The lawyer also referenced the mandates of the Police Service Commission and the Public Complaints Commission, saying the former provides mechanisms for complaints concerning police conduct, while the latter deals with administrative excesses and non-adherence to procedures.
He urged the relevant institutions to use their respective offices to facilitate compliance with the court order, de-escalate the situation and encourage an orderly resolution of the outstanding issues.
The petitioner stressed that the matter goes beyond Akpan’s individual circumstances, linking it to broader questions of individual liberty, responsible policing, judicial authority, professional accountability, access to justice and public confidence in state institutions.
He appealed for the investigation, where legally required, to continue; every party to be heard; every right to be protected; and, above all, the order of the court to be respected.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Governor of Abia State; the Chief Judge, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory; President, Nigerian Bar Association, and the Chairman, Police Service Commission were copied in the petition.
Also copied were the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission; the Chief Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission; the Chairmen, Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT and Abia State Councils and the Chairman, National Association of Judicial Correspondents.
The lawyer attached a certified true copy of the FCT High Court order dated September 17, 2026, and requested the IGP’s urgent intervention.