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Abuja was thrown into tension earlier this morning as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), led by Innocent Ohalete, the Executive Director of Rights Advocacy, staged a mass protest against what they described as the “illegal involvement of the Nigeria Police Force in a purely civil land matter” in the Federal Capital Territory.

The group brought a public petition against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, accusing its operatives of gross violations of fundamental human rights, disobedience to a subsisting court order, attempted murder of a staff member of the OLUSCO Group, Mr. Omaye Lawal, and threats to the life of the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Femi Olumeyan.

Speaking during the protest, Ohalete declared: “We write as a responsible civil rights advocacy group recognized by law and acting on our constitutional mandate to protect, defend, and sustain the rights of individuals and institutions where such rights are seen to have been violated.

“We rely on the SOS we received through a petition from Mr. Femi Olumeyan, Managing Director/Chief Executive of the OLUSCO Group, and his staff who was shot while in line of duty by a policeman whose name is yet to be known but whose photographs we have attached.

“The said officer serves under the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Team led by ACP Akin Fakorede, at the site legitimately under the control of the OLUSCO Group.”

According to the petition presented, OLUSCO Group had a valid legal agreement with the Performing Musician Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) granting it rights over a parcel of land near the City Gate, beside House on the Rock Church, under a joint venture memorandum of understanding.

Trouble, however, allegedly began when former PMAN President, Mr. Pretty Okafor, “influenced the IGP Monitoring Team through one CSP Lami to illegally and forcefully truncate the existing legal agreement and, through brute force, chase the OLUSCO Group away from their legitimate site.”

Ohalete recounted the incident of February 13, 2025, which he described as a “day of horror in Abuja.”

He said: “On that day, staff of OLUSCO Group resumed work only to find armed men in police uniforms take over their site, allegedly on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police. These men opened fire on defenseless citizens in broad daylight. Amidst the chaos, one officer targeted Mr. Lawal Omaye, mistakenly thinking he was the CEO, Mr. Olumeyan, and shot directly at him in what we see as an attempt to murder him.

“Not only was he shot, but the policemen also blocked all efforts to get him medical attention, abducted him, and kept him away for days to confirm if he was indeed Mr. Olumeyan. He was later released to his family, but only after the damage had been done. This singular action fueled speculation that there was a calculated murder plot against Mr. Olumeyan himself.”

The CSOs expressed deep concern that since then, “these satanic men in police uniforms” have allegedly continued to harass and intimidate Mr. Olumeyan through phone calls and proxies.

The advocacy group also painted a grim picture of the aftermath of the incident.

“Since then, this action has brought untold psychological trauma, fear, and consequences of terrorism on the CEO of OLUSCO Group, his staff, and especially Mr. Lawal Omaye, who has now been confined to a wheelchair by the actions of men sustained and paid through taxpayers’ money to protect, not destroy, lives,” Ohalete lamented.

The CSOs issued a list of urgent demands, including a call for an independent investigation into what they termed “a murder attempt by policemen carrying legal weapons to perpetuate illegal activities.”

Ohalete said: “We demand that you use your honorable office to cause the Inspector General of Police to immediately set up a panel to investigate this attempted murder, to direct his men to vacate the site they illegally occupy, and to commence investigations into the activities of the IGP Monitoring Team under ACP Akin Fakorede, which has become a huge threat to civil liberty and an unimaginable disaster to the institution of the Nigeria Police against international best practices.

“We also seek justice for Mr. Lawal Omaye, who was illegally shot and now confined to a wheelchair, and justice for OLUSCO Group, whose corporate identity has been dragged in the mud.”

Reaffirming the group’s faith in constitutional authorities, the Rights Advocacy director concluded: “We are of firm belief and unshakable confidence that, as usual, your good office will get us justice and restore normalcy in what appears to be threatening the peace of the capital city. While thanking you for making the nation proud in the discharge of your duties, please accept the assurances of our commitment to promoting justice, rule of law, and orderliness.”

The petition has further heightened calls for transparency and accountability within the Nigeria Police Force, with activists insisting that the IGP Monitoring Team must be subjected to scrutiny for alleged abuse of power.

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