A former Commissioner for Foreign and International Affairs in Imo State, Dr. Fabian Ihekweme, has dragged Governor Hope Uzodimma and the State Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Investment, Rex Anunobi, to court, accusing them of orchestrating his unlawful arrest and detention for over two months.
Ihekweme filed the suit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, seeking a declaration that his 61-day detention was illegal, malicious, and a gross violation of his fundamental human rights.
He is therefore demanding the sum of N10 billion in damages and a public apology from the defendants.
According to court filings dated April 14, 2025, the former commissioner alleged that Governor Uzodimma and Anunobi falsely accused him of financing the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed unit of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which is proscribed as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government and linked with alleged terrorism and violent activities in the South-East.
Ihekweme stated that the governor and his commissioner made the accusation without credible evidence and was published in Big Truth Newspapers on November 29, 2024, further damaging his reputation.
He claimed that based on the false petition filed by Governor Uzodimma to the Inspector-General of Police, unidentified security operatives stormed his Abuja residence at Efab Estate, Life Camp, Abuja on November 27, 2024.
According to him, he was abducted without a warrant, handcuffed, and transported to Owerri, Imo State capital, where he was detained at the Police Command, popularly known as Tiger Base, for 62 days without trial or legal representation.
The former commissioner described his detention as inhumane, stating that he was denied food, medical care, and access to his family.
He also claimed that officers at the Owerri Police Command took his photograph on the governor’s orders and sent it directly to him.
Ihekweme alleged that the charges against him were politically motivated, saying the actions were a form of retaliation for his vocal criticism of the Uzodimma administration.
According to the court filings, “The actions of the Defendants in concert with the Nigerian Police has been adjudged constitute a gross violation of the Claimant’s fundamental rights as guaranteed under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which safeguard his rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and freedom of movement by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Suit No. CV/5519/2024 Between Dr Fabian Ihekweme V Inspector General of Police and Another delivered on 30th January, 2025.”
In his current suit, Ihekweme prayed the court for a declaration that the allegations made by Governor Uzodinma and Annunobi against him, “falsely accusing (him) of financing a terrorist organisation, leading to [his] unlawful abduction, unlawful detention and maltreatment by Officers and Men of the Nigerian Police Force were malicious, false, and defamatory.”
He also prayed the court for an Order “directing the defendants to issue a formal and unreserved public apology to him, to be published in two national newspapers.
“An Order awarding the sum of N10,000,000,000 as general damages against the defendants for the severe harm caused to [his] reputation, emotional well-being, and personal liberty.
“An Order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, or representatives, from further defaming or making any false and malicious allegations against [him].
As of press time, neither Governor Uzodimma nor Commissioner Anunobi has issued a public response to the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Ihekweme, a strong critic of Governor Uzodimma, was hospitalised after spending 61 days in Tiger Base, a notorious police detention centre in Owerri where he was held incommunicado and tortured.
Ihekweme, is a former governorship candidate in Imo who joined forces with Governor Uzodimma in the 2019 governorship election, and was later appointed the Commissioner of Foreign and International Relations.
But before Uzodimma’s first term expired, both parted ways.
He became a vocal critic of Uzodimma’s administration, and continually asked Uzodimma to end what he described as oppressive practice and address issues of transparency and accountability in governance in the state rather than hounding dissent voices advocating for democratic governance.
