A law firm, Koyen-Hi Kebonkwu Chambers, has decried the gestapo-style arrests by security agencies in the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, lead counsel and human rights advocate, Mike Kebonkwu, accused the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the police of operating with impunity, reminiscent of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), whose excesses led to the nationwide #EndSARS protests in 2020.
“Changing the name from SARS to IRT is a mere cosmetic sham. Their operations are not intelligence-driven.
“They have simply metamorphosed into another lawless unit, detaining citizens unlawfully, and in some cases, using innocent individuals as bait to arrest others,” Kebonkwu declared.
Citing a harrowing case, Kebonkwu described how Buba Mohammed, a villager from Girim in Yobe State, was forcibly taken from his home on March 17, 2025, and transported over 800 kilometers to Abuja by IRT operatives.
Mohammed has reportedly been detained without charge or bail for over two months, allegedly as leverage to compel his elder brother to surrender.
“This is an outrageous abuse of power. The IRT is detaining Buba Mohammed not because of any offense he committed, but as a proxy — a hostage,” Kebonkwu said.
“What is the justification for moving a man across the country when there are competent police authorities in Yobe?”
The lawyer described Mohammed’s ordeal as one among many, warning that arbitrary detention has become a systemic practice in Nigeria’s law enforcement landscape.
According to Kebonkwu, officers frequently violate Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to personal liberty and mandates that arrested persons be arraigned within 24 to 48 hours.
This legal safeguard, he said, is now “widely flouted.”
“Youths are arrested simply for how they dress. Journalists and critics of government policies are held for weeks or months without charge. People are tortured, denied access to legal counsel, and subjected to inhumane treatment,” he stated.
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He added that some officers operate with political or personal motives, executing arrests based on fictitious petitions or settling personal scores through fabricated charges.
Kebonkwu warned that the current climate of impunity could trigger public outrage on the scale of the 2020 #EndSARS demonstrations, urging the government to act swiftly and decisively.
“We are calling on the government and oversight bodies to investigate these violations and hold perpetrators accountable,” he said.
“We demand the establishment of an independent review mechanism to audit IRT operations and prevent further abuse.”
He demanded the investigation of all allegations of unlawful detention by law enforcement agent, orosecution of those found culpable of abuses, the release or arraignment of detainees held without charge, oversight reforms, including an audit of IRT activities and broader police practices, and respect for due process, particularly the constitutional rights of suspects.
