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THE NIGERIA POLICE: AN INSTITUTION OF SERIOUS CONCERN
THE NIGERIA POLICE: AN INSTITUTION OF SERIOUS CONCERN
A Nine-Year Search For Truth . JUNE 2017 – JULY 2026 – AND STILL UNRESOLVED
By: Mrs Nnenna John-Anozie
Following my husband’s abduction in 2017, the police officers completely cut off every means of access to him. I could neither see him nor hear from him,and despite repeated efforts to establish his whereabouts and ensure his well being and safety, I was denied access to him. The police also failed to charge him before a court with any offence. Faced with the authorities refusal to disclose his whereabouts,their denial of access to him ,and their failure to produce him before a court ,I was left with no option but to institute an action for the enforcement of his fundamental rights at the High Court of Anambra State ,Idemili Judicial Division,Holden at Ogidi, being Suit No.HID/MISC. 47/2017, filed on 3 July 2017 before HIS LORDSHIP HON. JUSTICE .V.N.AGBATA.
On 24 July 2017,the Honourable Court presided over by His Lordship, Hon.Justice V.N. Agbata made an order directing as follows:
(a) That the Police are hereby ordered to charge my husband to court if a prima case is made against him or release him on bail.
(b) In the alternative,the Police are ordered to produce him in court on the next adjourned date of this suit and show cause why he can not be charged to court or released on bail.
Suit was adjourned to 19 September 2017 .
The Police did not comply,instead they subsequently put forward the claim that my husband had died.
Because this was never accompanied by the production of his body or any satisfactory account of his death,I returned to court and filed a motion on 20 October 2017,and prayed for an order of court compelling the police to produce his corpse for the purposes of a joint autopsy by the Government Doctor and Doctor chosen by his family,and thereafter ,for the police to release the said corpse to his family for a proper and decent burial .
On 16 April 2018, the court ordered the police to release the corpse to the members of his family for a burial since he was not charged and convicted of any offence.
Regrettably,however ,that order,too was not complied with.
Thus began a long and painful pattern: court orders were made,petitions were submitted ,investigations were initiated,and yet the fundamental question remained unanswered –
What happened to Chukwuemaka John Anozie ?
Upon realizing that nothing will come out of the matter in Anambra State,having made several efforts that proved abortive.I went to Force Headquarters Abuja and petitioned the Inspector General of Police seeking his intervention and thorough investigation to unravel the truth about my husband’s whereabouts and what happened to him?
What the Police Investigation Revealed
Following the petition to the IGP,an investigation was constituted and conducted by the X-Squad Unit at Force Headquarters .
That investigation produced findings and identified Sergeant Emeana Uzochukwu and Anthony Obiozor Ikechukwu as principal suspects in connection with the enforced disappearance of my husband.
Following the investigation,the Legal Department at Force Headquarters prepared a legal advise and charges, with the approval of the then DIG ,Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID),Anthony Michael Ogbizi,in 2020.
Yet,despite these investigative findings,the officers identified in connection with my husband’s abduction and enforced disappearance were not charged or prosecuted.
There was another deeply troubling discovery .
A few days after my husband’s abduction,withdrawals began to be made from his bank account using his ATM card.The withdrawals continued until the account was completely depleted.
In other words,while my husband remained missing, our family properties had been taken,two vehicles had been removed from our home,a briefcase containing money ,important family documents, certificates and international passports had been taken,and money had been withdrawn from his bank account until the account was completely depleted
And for years ,even the case file containing the records of the investigation into his disappearance could not be accounted for.
It was not until July 2026, nine years after his disappearance ,that the case file was finally brought out and reportedly forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation.
Yet,despite the investigation,the identification of suspects,the existence of court orders,preparation of charges and legal advise, no prosecution had taken place.
SEEKING JUSTICE : My Visit To The National Human Rights Commission And The End SARS Judicial Panel Proceedings in Abuja.
On 9 Oct 2020, I visited the NHRC in Abuja and met with the Chairman ,Mr Tony Ojukwu SAN. I narrated my ordeal to him and also lodged my petition with the commission.
After my visit,the End SARS protests subsequently commenced and led to the constitution of a panel of inquiry by the Federal Government to address related human rights violations.
Between 2020 and 2022, I appeared before the End SARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry in Abuja, hoping that the panel would finally provide a forum through which the truth about my husband’s disappearance could emerge.
The panel issued several orders directing the police to ensure the appearance of officers who were respondents in the proceedings and who had been implicated in my husband’s enforced disappearance .
They repeatedly failed to appear .
The proceedings were adjourned repeatedly -no fewer than twelve times over the course of two years .
The police failed to summon the officers ,and none of them appeared before the panel throughout the proceedings .
The panel also issued directives requiring my husband to be produced or an explanation to be given concerning his whereabouts. Those directives were not complied with.
The Panel further ordered Mr.Ochogwu, then CP Legal ,to personally appear and ensure the production of my husband’s case file and other documents relating to the investigation. The Panel reiterated this order on five separate occasions during the adjourned sittings, yet that order was not complied with .
Eventually,after two years of proceedings ,the panel concluded its work without resolving the central questions surrounding my husband’s disappearance .
Actions Taken After the Panel’s Closure To Continue My Quest For Justice.
With the matter still unresolved ,another petition was submitted to the Office of the Inspector General of Police on 22 November,2023 through Falana and Falana Chambers .
Following that petition,the Office of the Inspector General, directed that the matter be reopened for further investigation ,not only into my husband’s abduction and disappearance involving officers of the Nigeria Police Force ,but also into the disappearance of the case file from the Legal Department .
The matter was subsequently reassigned to Mr.Chinedu of the IGP Monitoring Team for further investigation.
Again,however,requests for relevant documents and investigative records were not complied with, and the matter once more went dormant.
I again wrote a letter through my lawyer Vincent Adodo, dated 8th April 2025, to the Inspector General of Police,requesting, pursuant to the Freedom of information Act 2011,the release of the case file and reports of several investigations concerning my husband’s disappearance ,both to me and to the Attorney General of the Federation.
The Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun refused to release the requested documents.
This refusal persisted despite the fact that investigations had already been conducted ,a legal advise and charges had been prepared, and a subsequent judgment of the Federal High Court ordered the release of the relevant documents.
I was therefore left with no option but to return to court.
The Federal High Court Judgment
I subsequently instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/865/2025 Nnenna Anozie v. Inspector General of Police, before the Federal High Court ,Abuja seeking among other reliefs,an order of Mandamus compelling the IGP to release the certified true copies of the investigation records and legal advise concerning my husband’s abduction and disappearance .
The suit was heard before Hon. Justice Binta Nyako.
In the suit , I also sought an order directing that the indicted officers be handed over to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution before the appropriate court..
Despite being served with the court processes and hearing notices,the police failed to appear to defend the case.
On September 24,2025 ,Hon. Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court,Abuja delivered judgment in Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/865/2025 in my favour, granting the reliefs sought and awarding ₦2Million in compensation for the violation of my right to information .
At that point ,I believed that after eight years of struggle,the judgment would finally open the door to accountability and access to the records concerning my husband’s disappearance
I was Wrong
Despite being served with the judgment and the relevant orders ,the Inspector General of Police did not comply.
Following the continued non-compliance by the police under the then IGP Kayode Egbetokun, my lawyer caused Form 48-Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Court Order and Form 49-Notice of Committal to the Correctional Centre to be issued and served on the IGP.
Notwithstanding the judgment of the Court,and steps taken to enforce it ,the order remained unimplemented until the removal of the then Inspector-General of police from office on 24 February 2026.
Following the appointment of the present Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu, contempt proceedings were initiated in respect of the continued non-compliance with the judgment.
Then,on July 24, 2026, during subsequent court proceedings ,I was informed by my lawyer that the police had filed a Notice of Compliance stating that my husband’s case file and related documents had finally been forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation.
After nine years, the case file had finally moved.
But my husband is still missing and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The File may have moved ,But Justice has not.
The Police’s stated forwarding of the case file to the Attorney General of the Federation has not brought this matter to a resolution .
The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation has,to date ,taken no action on the cases file reportedly forwarded to it.
I have therefore been placed in the extraordinary position of having to pursue a case concerning my missing husband while being denied access to the very investigative records generated in that case.
And so,after nine years of petitions ,investigations, court orders,panel proceedings ,legal representations and litigation ,the questions with which this journey began remain the same:
The passage of time has not diminished the pain,it has deepened it.
Emeana Uzochukwu and Anthony Obiozor Ikechukwu owe me, my children, our families, and the Nigerian public answers about Chukwuemeka John Anozie’s whereabouts and what happened to him, and must be brought forth to provide answers.
I want my children to have answers about their father.
They have grown up without the presence of their father and without the certainty of knowing what happened to him
The Nigeria Police Force bears responsibility for accounting for the investigation into my husband’s enforced disappearance, the handling and custody of the case file, the actions and omissions of its officers following his disappearance .
The rule of law must be upheld ,and the law must take its course
Mrs Nnenna John-Anozie
THE NIGERIA POLICE: AN INSTITUTION OF SERIOUS CONCERN
2027: TAF-Africa urges INEC, security agencies to ensure inclusive voting
By Elizabeth Ogunjobi
TAF-Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure accessible and safe voting for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in 2027.
Dr Andrew Adaji, Programme Manager of The All-Rights Foundation, made the call in Gombe on Wednesday during a community outreach for PwDs.
Adaji said the agencies must ensure that all eligible voters exercised their constitutional rights without discrimination or unnecessary difficulties.
He said PwDs deserved adequate support to participate in electoral processes, given their population and potential contributions to national development.
He estimated that PwDs constituted about 35 million Nigerians, representing 18 per cent of the country’s population.
Adaji urged INEC to promote priority voting and ensure its officials understood provisions designed to facilitate voting for PwDs.
He also criticised the commission’s alleged neglect of Form EC40H, which documents the participation of voters with disabilities.
“Based on our experience during the off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti, Anambra and Osun states, most ad-hoc staff were not even aware that the form existed,” he said.
He said observers had to draw polling officials’ attention to the form during the elections.
Adaji urged INEC to incorporate training on Form EC40H into its preparation of ad-hoc staff.
He said this would enable officials to understand its purpose and properly document PwDs participating in elections.
He also called for assistive devices, including magnifying glasses and Braille ballot guides, for voters with visual impairments.
Adaji urged INEC to make polling units physically accessible, stressing that PwDs should exercise their rights independently and with dignity.
“We should not have to carry them into polling units. Instead, the facilities should be designed to accommodate them,” he said.
He expressed optimism that improved accessibility would encourage more PwDs to participate in elections.
Adaji also urged security agencies to prioritise the protection of PwDs during security threats and emergencies.
He encouraged PwDs in Gombe to exercise their voting rights under the priority voting provisions of the law.
He said the provisions included special queues for PwDs, pregnant women and older persons.
Adaji urged Nigerians to support the participation of PwDs in the electoral process.
Alheri Nuhu, Women Leader of the Deaf Association in Gombe State, commended The All-Rights Foundation for organising the outreach.
Nuhu said PwDs had been denied adequate attention during previous elections, despite their constitutional rights.
She lamented discrimination by INEC officials and other voters, saying communication barriers often left deaf voters disenfranchised.
She urged INEC to engage sign language interpreters among its ad-hoc staff to facilitate communication during elections.
Similarly, Malam Sani Abubakar, Chairman of the Lepers Association in Gombe State, called for inclusive voting arrangements.
He said leprosy had affected some members’ thumbs, making thumbprinting difficult despite their faces being captured during previous elections.
Abubakar urged INEC to introduce alternative voting arrangements for affected voters to prevent their disenfranchisement.
NAN reports that The All-Rights Foundation is conducting the outreach in six Gombe communities, targeting 305 PwDs.
2027: TAF-Africa urges INEC, security agencies to ensure inclusive voting
Borno 2027: The General’s Charge and How Zulum Unleashes Borno’s Heavyweight Political Squad
By Abubakar M. Kareto
In Nigerian politics, elections are rarely won on auditorium stages; they are decided in the quiet corridors of rural wards and the long queues of remote polling units.
The formal inauguration of the Borno State All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council at the Government House followed by a massive, open-air campaign flag-off at the Sports Centre in Maiduguri represents a calculated departure from routine rally-making toward micro-targeted grassroots mobilization.
By commanding party stalwarts to abandon executive comfort and embed themselves directly within their local communities, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum is deploying a bottom-up doctrine aimed at locking down political legitimacy where it matters most.
At the heart of this strategy is the critical task of maintaining party cohesion after intense internal primaries. Zulum’s explicit instruction for victorious candidates to reach out and heal rifts with aggrieved aspirants reflects a realistic understanding of political arithmetic: internal resentment erodes turnout faster than any opposition campaign. By coupling reconciliation with firm warnings against subversion, the leadership is attempting to forge an unbreakable front out of potentially volatile factions.
The sheer scale of political unity displayed in Maiduguri underscores the formidable nature of this campaign structure. Bringing together political titans including former Governors Senator Maina Ma’aji Lawan and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, alongside APC Deputy National Chairman Ali Bukar Dalori and the state’s complete senatorial delegation demonstrates an unprecedented level of internal alignment.
This public display of solidarity among historical heavyweights signals organizational stability, minimizing space for opposition inroads while keeping rank-and-file members firmly aligned.
Beyond local dynamics, Borno State occupies a unique position on the national political chessboard as the home state of Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima. In this high-stakes arena, sheer victory is insufficient; the turnout margin itself serves as a barometer of political influence.
Delivering a massive vote tally is therefore both a local objective and a strategic demonstration of national strength, cementing the state’s leverage within the governing alliance.
To turn political influence into actual votes, the campaign relies heavily on record-based persuasion and visible governance dividends. By grounding the campaign pitch in key developmental gains achieved despite severe security challenges and highlighting major federal institutions acquired in Gwoza, Bama, and Azare canvassers are equipped with a tangible policy narrative. Framing voter turnout for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gubernatorial candidate Engr. Mustapha Gubio, and all legislative candidates as a direct return on investment gives party workers a clear, evidence-backed story for every doorstep across the state’s 27 local government areas.
A vital strength of this expanded outreach is the deliberate inclusion of women and youth as core engines of voter mobilization. The strong presence of the women’s delegation led by Borno First Lady Dr. Falmata Babagana Umara Zulum alongside the wife of the Deputy Governor and the wives of party candidates highlights an organized effort to engage families and community networks directly. Demanding structured participation across all demographics ensures that campaign directives actively translate into voter registration and turnout.
Deputy Governor Umar Usman Kadafur’s commitment to an issue-based, unit-by-unit campaign outlines the operational mechanics needed to execute this vision. Requiring regular field reports creates a system of measurable accountability across every precinct. In a vast state with complex logistics, such systematic tracking ensures that high-level strategy is actively carried out at every single polling station.
Lastly, the Maiduguri launch demonstrates how strategic discipline, elite reconciliation, and precinct-level focus converge to shape electoral outcomes. In an increasingly competitive political landscape, the Borno APC has laid out a clear blueprint: harness the full weight of a unified leadership squad, but win the election one polling unit at a time.
About the Author
Abubakar M. Kareto is a Public Affairs Analyst and Communications Strategist focusing on governance, policies, economy, and institutional reforms across Nigeria and Africa. He can be reached on X @amkareto and via email at amkareto@gmail.com.
Borno 2027: The General’s Charge and How Zulum Unleashes Borno’s Heavyweight Political Squad
News
Two Notorious Terrorist Leaders Haruna Balatoni and Black Neutralised in Plateau Military Offensive Another Fatally Wounded as Six AK-47 Rifles Returned
Two Notorious Terrorist Leaders Haruna Balatoni and Black Neutralised in Plateau Military Offensive Another Fatally Wounded as Six AK-47 Rifles Returned
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Nigerian Army have recorded major breakthroughs in ongoing offensive operations against armed criminal networks in Plateau State, neutralising two notorious terrorist leaders, critically wounding another and recovering six AK-47 rifles previously seized from security forces.
The latest developments followed sustained military offensives at Dajin Madam in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State on November 8, 2026.
Security sources disclosed that HUMINT reports received at about 8:53 a.m. on November 9 indicated that the intensity of the military operation had resulted in the neutralisation of two suspected terrorist leaders identified as Haruna Balatoni and Black.
Another notorious figure, identified as Dogo Mai Kunkuru, was reportedly shot in the chest and left in a critical condition, with sources indicating that his chances of survival were slim.
In a significant development on November 10, the sustained military pressure reportedly compelled the terrorist network, through an intermediary identified as Ali-Kwara, to return six AK-47 rifles previously seized from security forces.
The recovered weapons are currently in military custody.
In a related operation, troops of 173 Battalion deployed at Mansur rescued a kidnapped mother and her daughter and recovered 39 cattle.
The developments represent a significant disruption of the criminal network’s leadership, weapons stockpile and capacity to sustain operations in the Wase axis.
The recovery of the six rifles is particularly important as it restores weapons previously lost to the criminal network and provides an opportunity for further intelligence exploitation.
The latest successes underscore the impact of sustained offensive pressure, intelligence-driven operations and military presence in dismantling armed groups operating across Plateau State.
The reported deaths of the terrorist leaders and the condition of Dogo Mai Kunkuru are based on preliminary HUMINT assessments and remain subject to independent military confirmation
Two Notorious Terrorist Leaders Haruna Balatoni and Black Neutralised in Plateau Military Offensive Another Fatally Wounded as Six AK-47 Rifles Returned
2027: TAF-Africa urges INEC, security agencies to ensure inclusive voting
Borno 2027: The General’s Charge and How Zulum Unleashes Borno’s Heavyweight Political Squad
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