A Lagos-based businesswoman, Mrs Mabel Alabijah Hussaini, has taken the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to court over alleged severe violations of her fundamental human rights. The suit stems from what she describes as unlawful police actions instigated by a civil and matrimonial dispute with her estranged husband.
The Core of the Dispute: A $60,000 Investment
According to court documents filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Hussaini married her husband under native law and custom in 2016. The union produced a daughter, who is now eight years old. In November 2024, her husband gave her $60,000 with a clear purpose: to invest in real estate and establish a trust fund for their child.
Hussaini states she fulfilled this agreement. She used the funds to purchase a property at E18, Citadel Estate, Ogombo Road, Lekki, Lagos, registered in her daughter's name, and also opened a trust fund for the child's benefit.
Deterioration and Police Involvement
The relationship soured after Hussaini discovered her husband had contracted other marriages in Nigeria and Britain. He subsequently relocated to the UK. Despite knowing the money had been invested for their daughter, he later demanded a full refund and, according to Hussaini, threatened her life when she explained the funds were no longer liquid.
The situation escalated when her husband reported her to the police on allegations of theft. While officers at the Elemoro Police Station, Ibeju-Lekki, initially granted her bail after hearing her side, a more severe incident occurred on 7 January 2025.
On that day, officers from the Force CID Annex, Alagbon, arrested Hussaini and her eight-year-old daughter at gunpoint. She was taken to Alagbon where she claims she was verbally abused, humiliated, and detained for several hours without a proper hearing, all in the presence of her minor child. She alleges the officers demanded N2 million for her release but eventually compelled her to pay N500,000 through a POS operator.
Defying Directives and Seeking Justice
Hussaini's lawyers petitioned the Inspector-General of Police. The IGP reportedly directed that the matter be handled by the Zone 2 Police Command and treated as a civil dispute. However, she claims the officers proceeded to file criminal charges against her, which were only withdrawn after senior police authorities reiterated the civil nature of the case.
She further alleges that the police continued to interfere by instructing the estate developer not to release documents for the Lekki property bought for her daughter. These actions, she told the court, have caused her and her child severe emotional and psychological trauma.
In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1468/2025, Hussaini is seeking several reliefs from the court. These include a declaration that her rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and family life were violated. She wants an order restraining the respondents—which include senior police officers, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), her husband, and a real estate firm—from further arresting or harassing her.
She also demands a refund of the N500,000 paid for her release, an order protecting the property purchased for her daughter, and N50 million in damages against the police officers and her estranged husband. Crucially, she seeks a judicial declaration that the police lack the constitutional authority to intervene in matrimonial disputes or act as debt recovery agents for civil transactions.
