The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), a body of Nigerian legal professionals, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), calling for an investigation into alleged illegal detentions, harassment, and unlawful practices by the Head of the Gender Unit at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Area 10, Abuja, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rita Oyintare.
In a letter dated April 8, 2025, addressed to the Director-General of the DSS, ALDRAP accused DCP Oyintare of overstepping her legal boundaries by adjudicating matrimonial disputes and detaining individuals without court authorization. The group claims these actions contravene the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The petition was also forwarded to the National Security Adviser, the Senate and House Committees on Police Affairs, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, and Elizabeth Jones Wonli, Presiding Magistrate of the Family Court in Abuja.
ALDRAP alleged that some of its members, including Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, had been unlawfully detained by the police unit under Oyintare’s leadership. The association further accused the officer of obstructing the mandated monthly inspections of detention facilities by magistrates and judges.
The petition read in part:
“Contrary to Section 35 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, DCP Rita Oyintare does not allow magistrates or judges to conduct the legally required monthly visits to the detention centres operated by the Gender Unit. Attached is a letter we sent to the Chief Judge of the FCT regarding this violation.”
According to ALDRAP, numerous complaints against DCP Oyintare have gone unanswered, with the Inspector-General of Police allegedly refusing to act on petitions. The group cited a statement by the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, made on December 15, 2024, in which he reportedly expressed frustration over repeated complaints against Oyintare.
A previous letter from the commission dated October 2024, signed by retired Commissioner of Police Balarabe Sulaiman Nayaya, acknowledged ALDRAP’s complaint and confirmed it had been forwarded to the Inspector-General of Police for action. However, the lawyers claim no steps have been taken to address the alleged misconduct.
ALDRAP noted that it had also reached out to various relevant agencies, including the Department of Child Welfare, FCT Women’s Directorate, National Human Rights Commission, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), without meaningful response.
The association said it is prepared to present both oral and written evidence if the DSS initiates an investigation.
“Many of our members — husbands and wives — are willing to testify on how they were intimidated, coerced, arrested, and unlawfully detained over purely matrimonial issues that fall under civil law,” the group stated.
The petition also included a letter to the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, dated March 27, 2025, and signed by ALDRAP’s legal representative, Kenneth Amadi. Titled ‘Refusal of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mrs Rita Oyintare, Head of Gender at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Area 10 Abuja, FCT, to Allow Visitation to the Detention Centre and Records of Detention under Section 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015’, the letter highlighted ongoing violations of detainees’ rights.
According to ALDRAP, some of its members have filed multiple fundamental rights enforcement suits against DCP Oyintare over what they describe as her illegal handling of family-related disputes.
The group said it decided to involve the FCT High Court due to a recent incident involving the alleged illegal detention of two underaged children at the Gender Unit’s facility on December 18, 2024 — an event witnessed by a judge of the FCT Customary Court, who is reportedly willing to testify.
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