By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the police to maintain the status quo in a suit challenging an invitation by the Force Intelligence Department (FID) to members of the GThomes Estate Residents Association, Lekki, to appear in Abuja for interrogation.
Justice Friday Ogazi issued the order on Monday, 7 September, 2026 pending the determination of a Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure (FREP) suit filed by the estate’s executive committee.
The suit arose from a dispute between a resident and the estate management over her alleged disconnection from the estate’s power supply after she reportedly failed to pay electricity bills and service charges exceeding N5 million accrued over more than a year.
Counsel to the estate’s executive committee, Olayinka Olajuwon, argued that compelling his clients to travel from Lagos to Abuja over what he described as a civil dispute would infringe on their constitutional rights and impose undue hardship.
Olajuwon told the court that the complainant, the estate and its leadership are all based in Lagos, making the Abuja invitation unreasonable.
He also questioned the involvement of the FID after the matter had reportedly been reviewed by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Alagbon, Lagos.
The lawyer argued that the development suggested an attempt at forum shopping by influential individuals seeking to use the police to intimidate, harass or pressure his clients.
“This is a clear case of abuse of police time and resources,” Olajuwon said.
The dispute was initially reported at the Ilasan Divisional Police Station, Lekki, where the complainant was reportedly advised to settle the alleged debt or seek civil remedies over the disconnection.
She later took the matter to the Area J Command, Ibeju-Lekki, and the Zone 2 Police Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos.
The complaint was also reportedly presented to the FCID Annex, Alagbon, but the various police formations declined to intervene, maintaining that the matter was essentially civil rather than criminal.
The complainant subsequently took the matter to Force Headquarters in Abuja, where the FID reportedly invited members of the estate leadership for interrogation.
The development also prompted Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to caution officers of the FID and other police formations against encouraging forum shopping by complainants.
Disu was also said to have warned officers against intervening in civil disputes disguised as criminal matters to invoke police powers.
The respondents are expected to appear before Justice Ogazi later this month to show cause why the reliefs sought by the applicants should not be granted.
