Date: July 21, 2026
SUNTV Global Channel — A Lagos businessman and estate developer, Alhaji Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi, has petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC), alleging abuse of office, criminal defamation, media trial, and violations of his constitutional rights by three senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
The petition, filed through his legal representatives, A.O. Ajulo & Partners, names Assistant Inspector-General of Police Jimoh Moshood, Commissioner of Police (Interpol) Fidelis Ogarabe Ndubuisi, and ACP Mohammed Usman. The lawyers urged the commission to investigate the officers and initiate disciplinary proceedings over what they described as professional misconduct.
According to the petition, Akanbi had previously honoured several police invitations regarding investigations into communal disturbances and two homicide cases but was never linked to the alleged crimes through credible evidence.
His lawyers further claimed that while he was abroad receiving medical treatment, he was declared wanted without first being invited for questioning or exhausting normal investigative procedures. They argued that the action violated his constitutional right to the presumption of innocence.
The petition also alleged that the wanted declaration led to serious consequences, including damage to Akanbi’s reputation and the destruction of properties said to be worth billions of naira.
The legal team further claimed that despite an ongoing court challenge against the wanted declaration, an ex parte order was allegedly obtained for Akanbi’s arrest. They said the order was later set aside after the court reportedly found irregularities in the application process.
According to the petition, Akanbi returned to West Africa to honour a police invitation but was arrested in the Republic of Benin and transferred to Nigeria through Interpol.
The lawyers also alleged that after his arrest, he was publicly paraded in clothing bearing the inscription “WANTED” while in handcuffs and leg restraints, with photographs allegedly circulated on social media before any court had determined his guilt.
They further accused the officers of subjecting their client to degrading treatment during detention and conducting media briefings in which he was repeatedly described as a “multiple murderer” and other derogatory terms while investigations were still ongoing.
The petition urged the Police Service Commission to investigate the officers’ conduct, impose disciplinary sanctions if any wrongdoing is established, direct the retraction of allegedly defamatory statements, and issue guidelines discouraging media trials and prejudicial public comments against criminal suspects.
The lawyers maintained that the petition is not intended to obstruct police investigations but to ensure that law enforcement officers carry out their duties in accordance with the Constitution, due process, and the rule of law.
As of the time of this report, the Police Service Commission has not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the petition.
