Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained inspector-general of Police and other officers from arresting, detaining, or interrogating Chinedu Ani, on-air personality and comedian, over a dispute with a business partner.
Justice D.I. Dipeolu granted the interim order following an ex-parte application filed by Ani, known as Nedu Wazobia, and five others seeking protection of their rights.
The court barred inspector-general, assistant inspector-General of Police at Alagbon, and other officers from summoning or detaining the applicants over a dispute with Metropolitan School of Business and Management, Mr. Victor Ariyibi-Oke, and Mrs. Tolulope Ariyibi-Oke.
Also joined in the suit are CSP Ngozi Braide, ASP Stephen Onihane, and Inspector Echeng Julius.
Other applicants include Sarah Williams-Konha, Avalon Okpe, Ada Okpe, Barbara Okwaranobi, and Tokindrumz Pictures and Media Nigeria.
Justice Dipeolu issued an interim injunction restraining the police and their agents from taking any further steps against the applicants pending hearing of the substantive motion on notice for enforcement of their fundamental rights.
The judge declined to grant a second prayer, which sought to compel the police to maintain the status quo on all matters relating to the transaction between the parties.
Through their counsel, J.W. Dong, the applicants argued that the police were being used by their business partners to intimidate them over what was essentially a civil dispute.
They told the court the matter had previously been investigated for about nine months by the X-Squad of the AIG’s office at Alagbon in 2024.
According to them, the probe report absolved Ani and his team of any criminal liability.
Police legal department also issued a legal advice, saying the case was contractual and that any aggrieved party should approach the court.
The applicants alleged that the sixth to eighth respondents secretly submitted a second petition to the same Alagbon office, this time to the team led by CSP Ngozi Braide.
They claimed that, notwithstanding the prior investigation and legal advice, Braide and her team disregarded the recommendations, placed the applicants under caution again, and continued to intimidate them.
The applicants further alleged that the police team’s conduct amounted to abuse of power, with one of the respondents even assaulting their former lawyer before they engaged their present counsel.
Providing background to the dispute, the applicants explained that Nedu and his team had partnered with the respondents in early 2024 for an educational charity initiative aimed at raising school fees for underprivileged students.
The project featured a high-profile fundraising gala, which the respondents had agreed to sponsor at an estimated cost of over N83 million.
Despite the successful event held in March 2024, which generated both pledges and cash donations, the respondents allegedly demanded a refund of N60 million without justification.
Following the breakdown of the partnership, the respondents petitioned the police, leading to repeated summons and alleged harassment of the applicants.
They told the court that some of them were unlawfully detained in July 2025, while others had their international passports seized by the police.
The applicants insisted that the dispute was strictly contractual and should not have attracted a criminal investigation.
In their motion, they asked the court to declare the police actions unlawful, unconstitutional, and an abuse of power.
They also sought an order compelling the police to return their seized passports and to restrain further harassment over the contractual dispute.
They are demanding N2 billion in damages, jointly and severally, against the respondents for alleged infringement of their fundamental rights.
The case is expected to proceed to a hearing on the substantive motion in the coming weeks.
