Uwazuruike sues Imo Police, demands ₦100m over alleged rights violation

The founder of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and leader of the Biafra Independence Movement (BIM), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has filed a lawsuit against the Imo State Police Command over what he described as a breach of his fundamental human rights.

Filed before the High Court of Imo State, Owerri Judicial Division, through his counsel M. O. Anyanwu Esq. of Fidel Deum Attorneys, Uwazuruike is demanding ₦100 million in general damages for alleged violations of his constitutional rights to liberty, freedom of movement, and peaceful assembly, as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The respondents in the suit include ACP Oladimeji Odeyiwa (Commander, Tiger Base, Owerri), ASP John Ebute, ASP Eze Jet, Inspector Alice Zakari, the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Police Service Commission.

In his motion, Uwazuruike is asking the court to declare unlawful a police invitation dated October 16, 2025, directing him to report at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (Tiger Base) on October 20, 2025. He argued that the date coincides with a planned nationwide peaceful protest calling for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and therefore infringes on his right to free expression and assembly.

He also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the police from further harassing, inviting, or detaining him.

In his supporting affidavit, Uwazuruike stated that he had lived peacefully in Owerri without any prior police summons until he openly declared his support for the peaceful protest. His counsel maintained that the police’s action constituted a violation of his rights and urged the court to uphold his claims.

Observers have described the case as a potential landmark test of Nigeria’s commitment to fundamental human rights, with the hearing expected to commence at the Imo State High Court in the coming days.

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