A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has restrained the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and his officers from arresting or detaining popular On-Air Personality, Chinedu Ani, widely known as Nedu Wazobia, over a heated N83 million contract dispute.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu issued the order following a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Nedu and five others against the police, accusing them of harassment, intimidation, and unlawful detention over what they described as a purely civil matter.
The court specifically barred the IGP, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police at Alagbon, and other security officers from summoning or interrogating Nedu and his co-applicants in connection with a failed partnership deal with the Metropolitan School of Business.
According to court filings, the dispute originated from a partnership formed in early 2024 for a charity project designed to raise funds to pay school fees for underprivileged children. The applicants alleged that the respondents, including Victor Ariyibi-Oke and Mrs. Tolulope Ariyibi-Oke, had agreed to sponsor the fundraising gala with over N83 million but later demanded a refund of N60 million after donations and pledges were recorded.
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The applicants; Sarah Williams-Konha, Avalon Okpe, Ada Okpe, Barbara Okwaranobi, and Tokindrumz Pictures and Media Nigeria Ltd, alongside Nedu, told the court that following the fallout, they suffered constant police summons, intimidation, and even had some of their passports seized. They argued that the matter was a civil contract issue and did not warrant police involvement.
Justice Dipeolu, while ruling on the case, stopped the police from further harassment but declined to maintain the status quo on transactions between the disputing parties. The applicants are also seeking N2 billion in damages for the violation of their fundamental rights and the return of their confiscated travel documents.
This ruling has sparked major conversations online, as fans of the Wazobia FM star rally around him, questioning why the police intervened in a contract dispute and hailing the court’s decision as a victory for civil rights.
