Human rights lawyers have written to the Inspector-General of Police demanding the immediate and unconditional release of activist and commentator Onwuka Chimezie, widely known as Mezie. They say he has been held unlawfully at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Area 10, Abuja, after publicly criticising the Rivers State Police Commissioner.
According to the petition from WCE & Co. Chambers/Waynes Court, signed by principal partner Elljah Chifetie Prince Wayne C.E., Esq. and dated 8 September 2026, Mezie was arrested in Abuja on 4 September by officers from the Rivers State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit. The arrest is linked to comments and allegations he made about Commissioner Adewole, including claims involving land grabbing and alleged support for those involved in it.
The lawyers stressed they were not seeking to prove or disprove the substance of Mezie’s allegations. “If the allegations are false, the affected public officer has lawful remedies available to him. If they disclose any criminal conduct, the Nigeria Police Force equally possesses lawful investigative powers,” the petition stated.
Their central objection is the reported use of police authority to detain a citizen over criticism of a public official. “What is fundamentally objectionable is the apparent use of the coercive machinery of the State to deprive a citizen of his liberty merely because he has publicly criticised or made allegations against a serving public officer,” they wrote.
They also raised concern about an alleged attempt to move Mezie by road from Abuja to Port Harcourt, a journey that was stopped in Enugu. He was later taken to the Force CID in Abuja, where he has remained in custody for several days more than 72 hours at the time of the petition.
The lawyers argued that the power to arrest does not automatically make every arrest lawful, citing Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution on the right to personal liberty. They said public officials must accept scrutiny and that claims of defamation belong in the courts, not the police station. “The police station cannot become a substitute for the courtroom, nor can arrest become a punishment for speech or criticism,” the petition stated.
If Mezie has committed a crime, they said, the offence should be clearly identified and prosecuted according to law. If the issue is defamation, civil remedies should be pursued. Continued detention primarily because his comments are seen as inconvenient, they argued, raises serious constitutional questions requiring the IGP’s intervention.
The lawyers called for any criminal allegation against him to be communicated transparently, for his constitutional rights to be upheld, and for him to be produced before a competent court if there is sufficient evidence. They demanded his release unless a lawful basis for holding him is shown, plus an independent investigation into the circumstances of the arrest and detention including the identity and authority of the officers involved, the legal grounds for detention, the reported transfer attempt, and any directive allegedly issued by the Rivers commissioner.
They also asked that Mezie and his lawyers be told the specific offence (if any), that he be given immediate access to counsel and family, that relevant police records be preserved and produced, and that disciplinary or legal action follow if any officer is found to have abused power or violated his rights.
The petition follows a SaharaReporters report in which human rights advocate Marshal Abubakar called for the Rivers commissioner’s removal over the same alleged arrest. Abubakar said Mezie was taken by the Anti-Kidnapping Squad around 3pm on 4 September at the commissioner’s instance over comments on land-grabbing allegations, and that an attempt to transport him toward Port Harcourt was aborted in Enugu. He described the treatment as a breach of Nigerian law and international human rights standards.
Rivers State Police Command said it was not aware of the specific allegations. Spokesperson ASP Blessing Agabe told SaharaReporters the matter is being handled by the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja and directed further inquiries there.
The lawyers framed the case as larger than one individual, asking whether a Nigerian can question a public officer without fear that state machinery will be turned against him. They urged the IGP to act urgently by securing Mezie’s release and ordering an independent probe into the arrest and continued detention.
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