Nigeria Police and the weaponization of law enforcement: The ordeal of Alfred Friday
By Okechukwu Nwanguma
The recent case of Mr. Eme Alfred Friday, who was abducted from his home in Lagos and held incommunicado by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Enugu State Police Command, is a tragic reflection of the deep rot in Nigeria’s policing system. His ordeal exposes how the very institution mandated to protect citizens continues to violate their rights with reckless impunity, weaponizing law enforcement against the people.
Mr. Friday was arrested on June 26, 2025, at his Lagos residence by men who claimed he was being taken to Enugu. His wife, terrified and uninformed, had no idea what was going on. He was briefly sighted in handcuffs at Area B Command, Apapa, but shortly after, he disappeared without a trace. For days, the family desperately searched, pleading with authorities. It was only through a covert phone call he made on July 2 that his location — the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Enugu — was revealed. Even then, the Unit denied holding him until sustained pressure forced them to admit it.
This secretive arrest, concealment of whereabouts, denial of access to family and legal counsel, and prolonged detention without charge violate every principle of the rule of law and due process enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. Section 35 guarantees the right to liberty and mandates arraignment before a court within 48 hours. Yet, Mr. Friday was detained for over a month, unlawfully, without explanation, and in conditions tantamount to enforced disappearance.
Despite a formal petition submitted by RULAAC to the Commissioner of Police, Enugu Command, and copied to the Inspector-General of Police, there was no response. The Police Service Commission (PSC), when contacted, promised to act, and to its credit, acknowledged forwarding the case to the Enugu CP for comments. Yet, nothing changed. Instead of lawful redress, the family was met with threats, blackmail, and further intimidation.
In one of the most disturbing developments, the police reportedly reached out — not to Mr. Friday’s lawyer or his immediate family, but to his traumatized wife — threatening that if the case was not withdrawn from court, they would ensure he was charged. Frightened and desperate, she urged the family to comply, begging that they “see if they can release him.”
This is nothing short of psychological warfare. And it is not isolated.
Many Nigerians have suffered similar abuses at the hands of anti-kidnapping squads — illegal arrests, extortion, torture, and detention in dehumanizing conditions. Most simply pay off their tormentors and keep silent. The few who dare to speak out — like Mr. Friday’s family — are met with vindictive retaliation.
When the family lawyer tried to visit him on August 2, he was told that the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) had been changed and that the Unit Commander, who had gone to Abuja for a seminar, must approve any visit. Days later, the lawyer returned furious, lashing out at the victim’s brother for involving RULAAC and making it appear that he was reporting back to us. This shift — from defending a victim to appeasing the abusers — speaks volumes about the fear police units instill, even in legal professionals.
Eventually, after weeks of public pressure, Mr. Friday was finally “charged to court.” But in a final twist of absurdity, the family was not informed of the court or charges. When they tried to follow up, they were told that “the family had already been informed.” In essence, the police fabricated a prosecution to save face and punish the family for daring to seek justice.
This is not policing. This is state-sanctioned abuse. A democratic society cannot function where law enforcement is immune to accountability and operates like a secret police force. The Enugu Anti-Kidnapping Unit must be held accountable. The officers involved, including SUPOL John Ilia, must face disciplinary action. The entire unit must undergo an urgent overhaul.
What is at stake here is far bigger than one man’s freedom. It is about the dangerous precedent that arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, and retaliatory prosecution set. If the police can abduct a citizen, conceal his whereabouts, lie about it, threaten his family, intimidate his lawyer, and then invent charges — all with impunity — then no one is safe.
This must not be swept under the carpet. Civil society, the media, and all well-meaning Nigerians must rise and resist this creeping authoritarianism. RULAAC will continue to pursue justice for Mr. Alfred Friday and demand systemic reform.
The Nigeria Police Force was not created to terrorise the public. It exists to serve and protect. Until it returns to that role, cases like Mr. Friday’s will remain tragic symbols of a broken justice system — and of a country at war with its own people.
Nwanguma is the Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability, Advocacy Centre (RULAAC). He writes from Lagos
