A group of human rights activists under the umbrella of the Centre for Human Rights and Advocacy in Africa Network (CHRAAN) has petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC), demanding a full-scale investigation into allegations of abuse of office and misconduct by Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Emmanuel Aina.
In the petition dated October 22, 2025, and addressed to the PSC Chairman, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Hashimu Argungu, the protesters accused AIG Aina, who currently serves as the Director of Legal, Nigeria Police Force, of using his position to intimidate and harass an Abuja-based lawyer, Barrister Victor Giwa, in a property dispute involving Asabe Waziri, a staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and Abeh Signature Apartments.
According to CHRAAN, the senior police officer allegedly acted “in the interest of a private individual” by facilitating Asabe Waziri’s illegal re-entry into two Maitama flats from which she had earlier been evicted by a court order.
“Sometimes in 2024, after a valid judgment of the FCT High Court ordered the eviction of Ms. Asabe Waziri from two flats in Maitama, AIG Aina allegedly used police officers to forcefully return her to the property — in defiance of a restraining order and a pending appeal before the Supreme Court,” the petition stated.
The group further alleged that AIG Aina arrested and detained Victor Giwa twice, between June and July 2024, in a bid to intimidate him and compel access to the disputed property at No. 1, Mekong Close, Maitama, Abuja.
CHRAAN also claimed that the AIG detained one Godwin Okey “in lieu of Victor Giwa” and later ordered Giwa’s arrest in Lagos on September 19, 2025, purportedly on the basis of a questionable warrant. Despite the requirements of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, which mandates arraignment within jurisdiction, Giwa was allegedly held for over 10 days without charge.
“The continued harassment of Mr. Giwa represents a clear violation of his fundamental rights and a breach of the Police Act,” the petition read, calling the conduct of AIG Aina “illegal, unprofessional, and contrary to the rule of law.”
CHRAAN urged the PSC to:
Investigate AIG Aina’s involvement in the alleged forceful repossession of the Maitama flats for Ms. Waziri while the case remains pending before the Supreme Court.
Examine his role in the alleged unlawful detention of Barrister Victor Giwa between September 19 and 29, 2025.
Sanction any police officers found complicit in the unlawful acts.
The protesters, who demonstrated peacefully outside the PSC headquarters in Abuja, insisted that “the Nigerian Police Force must not be used as a tool of oppression in private civil disputes.”
