A federal judge in Abuja cautioned on Tuesday that she might order the Chief of Army Staff to apprehend the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun should he continue to ignore a ruling from the court.
In a bid to prevent such a course of action, Judge Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court proposed a possibility for the IGP to reach an amicable resolution in order to adhere to the judgment in question.
This warning was issued during a hearing related to the contempt proceedings initiated by Nnenna Anozie, whose husband, John Anozie, went missing following his abduction by police officers back in June 2017.
John Anozie has not been seen by his family since he was seized in Lagos by members of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) more than eight years ago. The SARS officers reportedly traveled from their base in Awkuzu, Anambra State, to abduct him.
Since the abduction, Mrs Anozie has persistently sought justice through various courts and the #EndSARS judicial panel of inquiry, trying to uncover the circumstances surrounding her husband's disappearance.
Throughout her pursuit, she has received multiple rulings from different judges instructing the police to account for her vanished spouse and for the officers implicated to be held responsible.
The most recent order was issued by Judge Nyako in September 2025, requiring the IGP to produce the implicated officers along with extensive case files related to the situation.
However, IGP Egbetokun and the police have failed to comply with the ruling, prompting Mrs Anozie to commence contempt proceedings against him, seeking his potential imprisonment for adherence to the court's directive.
During the recent court session, Mrs Anozie’s lawyer, Vincent Adodo, presented the court with evidence highlighting the continual disregard the police have shown towards court judgments related to this case. He informed the court that both Forms 48 and 49, necessary for initiating contempt proceedings, had been served on the IGP.
“Despite the overwhelming evidence, the IGP has refused to produce the offenders,” Mrs Anozie’s attorney asserted loudly in court. He suggested that the police take the matter to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) for further action.
The lawyer also highlighted that his client, who has relentlessly sought justice since 2017, traveled from Lagos that morning specifically for the case.
In response, the lawyer representing the IGP, Stanley Nwodo, indicated that he had only received Form 48 and claimed that there was confusion regarding the identities of the police officers involved.
The judge immediately interjected, emphasizing that the critical issue at hand was the existing judgment requiring compliance.
Demonstrating her commitment to ensuring justice, the judge expressed her willingness to take the necessary legal measures to resolve the matter, stating she had no qualms about issuing an order for the IGP's arrest, indicating, “If I must do that, I will instruct the Chief of Army Staff to detain him. I will not ask the police.”
Typically, the police are expected to execute arrests of individuals found to be in contempt of court; however, Judge Nyako appeared to express reluctance to entrust this responsibility to the police in light of their previous lack of action regarding the IGP’s disregard for the court’s orders.
The judge then offered IGP’s counsel two potential paths: the first option was to allow the contempt proceedings to advance since “the IGP did not follow the court order,” or alternatively, to convene a meeting in her chambers “to discuss how to settle the issue and propose a resolution.” If the meeting option were chosen, a letter would follow to communicate the agreement to the Attorney General of the Federation.
Mrs Anozie’s lawyer voiced concerns, suggesting that similar letters had previously been issued to authorities several times without results.
However, the judge reassured him, stating she would be responsible for drafting the letter herself, highlighting that, “There is a difference between when you write and when I write.”
She clarified that pursuing a meeting would be a more constructive approach, as imprisoning the IGP might not produce any beneficial outcome or resolve the underlying issues.
“We are not conducting a trial; we are working toward a solution,” she added.
After a moment’s contemplation, Mr Nwodo concurred that both parties should gather in the chambers of the judge.
The judge instructed them to coordinate with the court registrar to set a date for this meeting and adjourned the case until April 23, with an expectation that they would have met in her chambers by that time.
The ongoing case of John Anozie is a painful reminder of the historical context surrounding the #EndSARS movement, which has detailed a pervasive pattern of police misconduct and brutality in Nigeria. The facts surrounding this case reflect deeper systemic failings within the national police force and a need for comprehensive reform.
According to reports, linked to a long history of police negligence towards court orders regarding Mr Anozie’s case, the officers highlighted include Anthony Obiozor Ikechukwu, who held the position of assistant superintendent of police, Sergeant Uzochukwu Emeana, John Eze more widely known as T Boy, and Superintendent Sunday Okpe, several of whom have since retired.
Mrs Anozie asserts that the officers in the disbanded SARS unit forcibly took her husband from their residence in Lekki, Lagos in June 2017.
John Anozie’s abduction is emblematic of the sweeping atrocities attributed to the former SARS unit, notorious for its actions involving extortion, torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and wrongful asset seizures.
These misconducts spurred widespread #EndSARS protests across the nation in October 2020, after which the SARS unit was disbanded, and both the federal and state governments pledged to create judicial panels to address concerns of police violence throughout Nigeria.
Like countless others, Mrs Anozie sought assistance from the Abuja panel and similar jurisdiction in at least 29 other states in Nigeria, but her case has remained indefinable, largely due to the police's lack of cooperation throughout the inquiry process.
In December, Mrs Anozie filed a motion specifying that Mr Egbetokun disobeyed the September 2025 court ruling demanding the production of the officers involved in her husband’s abduction.
Following a month of noncompliance, her lawyer initiated contempt proceedings against the IGP using Form 48, notifying him of the potential consequences of disregarding the court order, followed by Form 49, which anticipated a request for an explanation of the IGP’s failure to comply with the court's directive.
In her formal application, Mrs Anozie’s legal team detailed that the IGP had been served both documents yet neglected to act upon them, thereby calling for his imprisonment for contempt related to the order.
The court motion requested the judge commit “the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, to Kuje prison in Abuja for contempt “until he purges himself of the contempt/disobedience of this honorable court’s ruling.”
However, the judge’s suggestion to reconsider the contempt proceedings may lead to a temporary suspension of actions pending the results of their upcoming meeting.
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