The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has condemned the actions of police officers from Abuja who allegedly stormed the Lagos residence of Mr. Joseph Edeh and took him away despite a valid restraining court order.

In a statement issued Sunday, RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, revealed that the officers, from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) unit led by DCP Rita Emesime Oyintare, attempted to break into Mr. Edeh’s home despite a subsisting Federal High Court order.

RULAAC accused DCP Rita of violating the court order and endangering Edeh’s safety and liberty. “The police must not be turned into instruments of private vendetta. This is a coordinated assault on the rule of law,” the organisation stated.

The incident reportedly stems from a civil and matrimonial dispute, with multiple cases pending in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu. RULAAC argued that the police action escalated an already unlawful intervention in a purely civil matter, noting, “There is no criminal element whatsoever to justify this level of aggression. This is not law enforcement—it is a coordinated assault on the rule of law.”

The organisation highlighted a pattern of alleged misconduct by the FCID unit under DCP Oyintare, including:

• Harassing Mr. Edeh despite ongoing civil and matrimonial cases;
• Illegally directing banks to freeze his accounts and deactivate his electronic channels;
• Relying on a questionable ex parte order from a Nasarawa State High Court with no connection to the parties to sidestep the Federal High Court’s binding order.

Nwanguma criticised the police for prioritising a civil dispute over genuine security threats, saying, “If the Nigeria Police Force could deploy the same level of gallantry, urgency, and operational coordination in confronting bandits, kidnappers, and criminals terrorizing Abuja—as they demonstrated in traveling to Lagos over a marital dispute—Nigeria would be a significantly safer country.”

RULAAC called for the immediate withdrawal of the Abuja officers, enforcement of the court order, and protection for Mr. Edeh from further intimidation. The organisation also urged authorities to investigate and discipline the officers involved.