The Rivers State Police Command has dismissed as untrue allegations of its involvement in land grabbing in the state, following a viral social media video alleging that the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, grabbed or facilitated the grabbing of land belonging to residents of Victory Estate, Rumuosi Community, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
Key Highlights
- The Rivers Police Command, in a statement by spokesperson ASP Blessing Agabe, described the land grabbing allegation against CP Olugbenga Adepoju as false and misleading.
- The command said its only role was providing security for a court bailiff executing a valid judgment on a separate property in Rumuagholu Community.
- An investigation found the judgment did not cover Victory Estate, Rumuosi, making the earlier execution wrongful.
- A nine-count charge has been filed against Col. Ogwumerum Eke and others at the High Court of Rivers State.
- A separate suit filed by Eke and three others against the police is still pending before the Rivers State High Court.
Reacting to the video, the command, in a statement on Monday signed by ASP Blessing Agabe, described the allegation as false and misleading.
The statement clarified that on March 6, 2025, the command received an application from one O. S. Obior, on behalf of Kirigust Global Resources Nigeria Limited, requesting police protection for a court bailiff to execute a judgment.
According to the statement, the application was referred to the Department of Operations and subsequently to the Police Legal Section for verification.
The statement further said that the Customary Court, Choba, confirmed on March 21, 2025, that the judgment was valid and that there was no pending appeal or stay of execution.
The police said that based on the legal advice received, police officers were deployed on April 7-8, 2025, solely to provide security for the court bailiff.
Residents Object, Commissioner Halts Execution
The statement said that during the execution, residents of Victory Estate, Rumuosi, objected, stating that while they did not dispute the validity of the judgment, it related to land in Rumuagholu Community and did not cover their property in Victory Estate, Rumuosi.
Consequently, the commissioner of police immediately halted the execution and directed the Police Legal Section to investigate the conflicting claims and invited all relevant parties to state their positions.
The police said the disputed location was visited, and photographs of damaged properties were obtained.
As part of the investigation, the police obtained the certified true copy of the judgment and the dispute survey/site plan from the Customary Court, Choba, and forwarded the documents to the Surveyor-General of Rivers State for charting and geo-location.
The Surveyor-General subsequently confirmed that the area covered by the survey/site plan was within Rumuagholu Community and did not cover Victory Estate, Rumuosi Community.
“The investigation therefore established that although the judgment in Suit No. CCC/22/2015 was valid and had no pending appeal or stay of execution, it did not extend to Victory Estate, Rumuosi. Consequently, the execution of the judgment on the said property was considered wrongful.
“The investigation further disclosed alleged criminal offences arising from the wrongful execution, and persons including Col. Ogwumerum Eke, Chief Mike Oyakire, Prince Chima Kelechi and Samuel Chike, among others, were recommended for prosecution,” the statement added.
It said Force Headquarters, Abuja, also investigated the matter and reportedly arrived at similar findings.
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Following the findings, the police said that a nine-count charge, No. PHC/3683/CR/2025, was subsequently filed before the High Court of Rivers State against Col. Ogwumerum Eke and others at large.
The command restated that the commissioner of police neither grabbed, acquired nor took possession of any land belonging to Victory Estate, Rumuosi Community, adding that his involvement was limited to granting police protection to a court bailiff after the judgment had been duly verified.
According to the command, upon receiving objections from the residents, the commissioner halted the execution and ordered an investigation, which established that the judgment did not cover the disputed property.
The command also noted that Suit No. PHC/1467/FHR/2026, instituted by Col. Ogwumerum Eke and three others against the police and other defendants, is currently before the Rivers State High Court, stressing that it will allow the court to determine the issues before it.
The clarification comes days after reports emerged of a rights activist’s arrest over commentary on similar land grabbing allegations against the commissioner, a case the command said was being handled separately by the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.
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