Nurudeen Abdulsalam, a lawyer from Offa, alleges that about ten officers from the Kwara State Police Command were dispatched to Abuja to arrest him after he publicly charged Lieutenant‑Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf – the aide‑de‑camp to President Bola Tinubu and the Elemona of Ilemona – with abuse of authority and encouraging land grabbing in his community.
He, who chairs the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Gwagwalada Branch, says the police team was stationed at the Gwagwalada Police Division on 3 November and was instructed to summon him for questioning. Abdulsalam received a phone call at 11:55 a.m. from a person identifying himself as an officer at the Kwara State Police Headquarters, informing him of the deployment and demanding his immediate appearance.
Key details:
- The lawyer claims the operation was ordered by the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner also expected to cooperate.
- Abdulsalam requested a formal written invitation before attending any investigation.
- He insists he has neither fled nor hidden himself.
- The alleged cross‑state deployment is described as intimidation linked to a private land‑dispute involving Yusuf.
- He further accuses the authorities of diverting security resources to protect the traditional ruler while ordinary communities in Kwara continue to suffer insecurity.
What did the lawyer allege?
Abdulsalam maintains that the police move was intended to silence him over his earlier accusations against Yusuf, which he first aired in an open letter dated 27 October titled A Call Against Impunity: The Overreach of the ADC to the President, Elemona of Ilemona Community of Kwara State. In that letter, he charged Yusuf with leveraging his military rank, royal status and political connections to influence land disputes affecting Ilemona, Offa and neighboring Ira.
How did the police respond?
According to Abdulsalam, the police did not provide a formal summons but instead relied on a phone call that threatened immediate arrest. He says the Kwara State Commissioner of Police directed the operation, and the FCT Commissioner was expected to assist, suggesting a coordinated effort across jurisdictions.
What earlier accusations were made?
The lawyer previously alleged that armed youths from Ilemona were seizing land and intimidating residents, with the police and judiciary allegedly used to harass those who resisted. He cited the case of a farmer, identified as Gani Agidingbadi, who was arrested while working his land in Alaya and taken to Ilemona over a disputed claim, later charged with illegal firearm possession. In his 3 November statement, Abdulsalam referred to another resident, Suwara Agindingbadi, who he says remains detained on what he describes as fabricated charges.
He also claimed that Offa youths, including Kamal Lawal and Taye Lateef, were assaulted in the context of the land dispute and that a judge had told victims in open court to “go and beg Mr Yusuf,” though he provided no details about the court or the judge.
What does the lawyer demand now?
Abdulsalam says the recent police deployment reinforces his earlier claims that state institutions are being weaponised to settle private disputes involving the traditional ruler. He characterises the alleged police action as an abuse of executive power and vows to keep pressing for accountability, stating, “As a legal practitioner and a Branch Chairman of the NBA, I will not be cowed by gun‑boat tactics or the unconstitutional misuse of executive power.”
Attempts by Premium Times to obtain comment from the Kwara State Police Command spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire‑Adeyemi, were unsuccessful as her contact number was unreachable at the time of reporting.