Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) Chairman, Hashim Abioye, has taken the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to court over the alleged unlawful detention of OSSIEC staff and the sealing of its office.
The Osun State Commissioner of Police has also been joined in the suit, numbered FHC/OS/CS/41/2025, filed at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.
The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to restrain the police from further arrests of OSSIEC staff and to release those currently in detention. They argue that the police actions have violated their fundamental human rights, and are demanding N2 billion in damages for the breach of their right to liberty and private life.
The lawsuit is a response to the tensions surrounding the local government elections conducted by OSSIEC on February 22, 2025. Abioye claims that operatives of the Nigeria Police Force sealed the OSSIEC headquarters and arrested staff on election duty across the state.
The plaintiffs are praying the court to declare the sealing of their office and the threat of arrests as unlawful, citing Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. They are also seeking an injunction to restrain the police from further interference with the commission’s operations.
The case has sparked concerns about the independence of electoral commissions and the role of law enforcement agencies in democratic processes. As the matter unfolds, it will be crucial to watch how the court balances the competing interests of the parties involved.