There is something almost theatrical about the recent Gestapo style extraction of two rural men from their ancestral homes in Ondo by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team from Abuja. One could be forgiven for assuming that a cartel of international arms dealers had finally been uncovered in the quiet agrarian communities of Ondo. Alas, the grand criminal conspiracy, when stripped of its costume and exaggerated lighting, turns out to be what it always was, a tired land dispute already before a court of competent jurisdiction.
Yet, in a country where spectacle often substitutes for substance, two villagers were bundled into a Hummer bus and subjected to an exhausting twelve hour road journey to the Federal Capital Territory under the convenient labels of “threat to life” and “arson.” Labels, in our policing culture, sometimes function less as legal classifications and more as psychological weapons designed to break the spirit of suspects before the law even speaks.
But Nigeria, thankfully, is still not entirely bereft of honourable men in uniform.
We are relieved to report that the head of the IRT section of the force, Muhammad Sanusi Ahmed, a professor of law and by reputation a disciplined and uncompromising officer, did not receive the conduct of his subordinates with applause. On the contrary, he reportedly expressed displeasure over allegations of manhandling and torture and insisted that if such claims were proven, severe sanctions would follow. More remarkably, he also warned that if the complainants themselves were found to have lied, they too would face consequences.
That is the language of institutional integrity. That is the temperament of a man who understands that policing is not private warfare outsourced to the highest bidder.
And here, the narrative takes a turn that even the most cynical observer must acknowledge with relief.
Upon finally being brought before the Professor, the two men, unwashed, exhausted, barefoot, and visibly shaken, were, for the first time since their ordeal began, treated like human beings. Not minding their condition, their stench, or their obvious poverty, he listened carefully and patiently, like a teacher confronting a troubled classroom rather than an executioner presiding over condemned men.
They spoke cautiously. How could they not? Their tormentors were still within the same complex. The fear was real and intimidating. According to their account, upon arrival at Kabba, officers had allegedly withdrawn ₦300,000 from their bank accounts in two installments and issued chilling warnings: “You will rue if this leaks. We know your homes. We picked you from there. Be guided” They looked in our eyes for assurances, and we quickly agreed in unison, “yes sir, we echoed like school children” Those threats, they said, sank deep into their hearts. Yet when confronted before their superior, the same officers reportedly removed their sandals and swore brazenly that no such extortion occurred.
The victims were stunned. How do men deny something traceable while their victims remain under their custody and mercy?
Out of fear of further trouble, and knowing now the Professor’s reputed zero tolerance for fraud, they initially hesitated to mention the financial extortion at all.
What is now clear, however, is that were it not for his intervention, the story might have ended very differently.
However, what’s unknown to the complainants was that their armed gang on our ancestral land had reportedly been boasting to the farmers that the suspects shouldn’t be expected anytime soon as they were being prepared for arraignment on concocted charges before friendly magistrate courts in Abuja. According to accounts, arrangements had supposedly been sorted, including a 14 day detention order intended to justify an investigation into a matter already before a High Court of competent jurisdiction back home. In other words, detention first, justification later.
That plan, however collapsed the moment the Professor stepped in.
Far from endorsing the theatrics, he reportedly ordered their immediate release, instructed that they must not pay a single kobo to any officer under his command, and ensured that no further financial harassment occurred. Administrative delays linked to election activities in Abuja slowed their departure slightly, but the outcome had already changed. The dungeon door prepared for us had been shut before it could consume us.
They eventually arrived back in their village at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
What awaited them was not silence, but communal eruption!
More than a hundred villagers had gathered in the dead of night, waiting anxiously. The moment they appeared, relief erupted into celebration. Two fat goats were brought out and slaughtered instantly in gratitude for their safe return. In rural Nigeria, where wealth is measured less in currency than in community, such gestures speak louder than editorials.
And herein lies the irony that must trouble any serious observer.
For while the Professor represents the intellectual conscience of the system, the events leading up to his intervention expose how easily institutional machinery can be manipulated by determined private actors. There are troubling insinuations that complainants boasted of paying significant sums to ensure prolonged detention so that the suspects’ spirits would be broken. Whether street bravado or something more sinister, the mere possibility underscores the vulnerability of the poor when power, money, and influence converge.
The truth, inconvenient as it may be, has been sitting quietly in plain sight from the beginning.
This same complaint was first reported at a local police post directly opposite the disputed property. The officer in charge at the time reportedly inspected the alleged destruction and dismissed it as intimidation. Dissatisfied, the complainants escalated it through multiple police formations until the matter reached higher commands, where yet another inspection reportedly found no credible evidence. The dispute remained what it always was, civil litigation dressed in criminal clothing.
Unable to secure validation locally, escalation by desperation followed.
Thus emerged the dramatic invasion by distant operatives, transporting suspects across jurisdictions despite the presence of senior police formations within the region. Such actions inevitably raise uncomfortable questions about forum shopping, intimidation tactics, and whether distance itself is being weaponised against poor citizens who can barely feed themselves, and who are unfamiliar with metropolitan legal terrain to now begin to borrow money in pursuit of a case in a distant land of Abuja. We therefore appeal to the good conscience of the Professor that the case be effectively transferred to the AIG’s office, Zone 17, Akure, where their purported arson and threat to life allegation remains alive till this day.
Meanwhile, the land at the centre of the controversy is no speculative bush parcel. It is an inheritance stretching back over two centuries, reinforced by multiple High Court judgments, including one dating back to 1970. Ironically, the complainants’ father had long ago sold the same land to the RCCG church, and the ownership dispute is currently before the High Court. In legal terms, the matter is sub judice. In practical terms, it should never have left the courtroom.
But when a case is weak in law, it often grows loud in intimidation.
The emerging pattern suggests an attempt to deploy police machinery as leverage in a civil dispute that the complainants likely know they cannot win judicially. Documentation issues, conflicting transactions, and historical judgments appear to weigh heavily against them. Thus, harassment becomes strategy, criminal allegations become instruments, and detention becomes negotiation.
What must concern police leadership is not merely the fate of two villagers. It is the institutional precedent. When law enforcement becomes susceptible to manipulation by financially stronger actors in land conflicts, public confidence erodes, and the uniform risks being perceived not as a symbol of justice but as a rentable asset.
The Professor at the helm may well represent the best aspirations of the system. But aspirations alone cannot shield the poor from oppression if operational discipline falters beneath him.
Still, credit must be given where it is due.
To the ebullient Professor, Muhammad Sanusi Ahmed, a gentleman officer who detected inconsistencies, rejected intimidation theatrics, and chose integrity over convenience, the rescued villagers now extend profound gratitude. His conduct aligned with earlier findings by multiple local police formations that had handled the matter before escalation distorted it.
In an era when cynicism about institutions is fashionable, moments of incorruptibility deserve recognition.
We shall continue to watch. And if the affluent insist that the poor must not live in dignity on their ancestral soil, the streets, history teaches us, have a way of responding when institutions hesitate.
0 comments: