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By 247ureports.com
Human rights lawyer and former National Human Rights Commission chairman Chidi Odinkalu has called on Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu to discipline the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of “B” Division, Awka, after court bailiffs were allegedly assaulted while enforcing a magistrate court order. The Anambra State Police Command says the video circulating online captures only part of what happened.
The Allegation
In a post on X dated October 8, Odinkalu said a team of bailiffs led by Franklyn Ifeanyi Onwuasoanya was executing a Warrant of Possession issued by the Chief Magistrates’ Court in Awka on Wednesday, October 7, when a man arrived and introduced himself as the DPO of “B” Division. According to Odinkalu, the officer ordered the bailiffs to stop and leave the premises. Absent any order from a superior court, Onwuasoanya declined. Odinkalu alleges the officer then called for backup, and that when it arrived the officers assaulted the bailiffs, tore their clothes and tried to take the warrant from them by force. Odinkalu said it was at that point that one of the bailiffs started recording.
He argued that the IGP’s duty is to hold the DPO to account for “presuming that his uniform makes him a summary Court of Appeal.” He also suggested the police might respond by charging him under the Cybercrimes Act rather than disciplining the officer. 247ureports.com could not verify the reference to a similar case against a namesake in Enugu.
The NBA’s Account
The Nigerian Bar Association’s Anaocha Branch has also condemned the incident. Branch Chairman Uzoma Dioha said the Chief Bailiff, Francis Nweje, told him the court officials were carrying out the lawful execution of a judgment when the DPO arrived and ordered them to stop and follow him to the station. The bailiffs, he said, explained they held a valid warrant and asked to finish their court-assigned duties before honouring the directive. Dioha said officers then pulled one bailiff violently and appeared to force him toward a waiting police vehicle, which the bailiff repeatedly resisted. In the video, one bailiff can be heard saying they had a valid warrant to enforce a court order.
The NBA branch described the incident as an affront to judicial authority and an attack on the rule of law. It asked the Commissioner of Police to investigate, identify the officers involved and apply disciplinary measures if culpability is established. It also demanded protection for bailiffs and judicial officers on lawful assignments, operational directives reminding officers to respect judicial authority, and an institutional apology to the judiciary if misconduct is proven.
Police Response
The Anambra State Police Command, through spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the circulating video “captures only part of the incident.” According to the command’s preliminary information, B Division operatives were responding to a distress call about unidentified persons and a disturbance at premises within the division’s jurisdiction. Ikenga said the officers approached the individuals to establish who they were and asked for identification, and that a disagreement followed before the individuals identified themselves as court bailiffs acting under a court order.
The command said the division had not been approached for security assistance before the enforcement began. Once the officers learned the individuals were bailiffs, it said, they explained the procedure for requesting police security support and withdrew. The command added that it respects the authority and independence of the courts and is committed to providing lawful security support for the enforcement of valid court orders when properly requested. It said it has started an assessment of the incident and has engaged the relevant parties to establish the full circumstances.
Conflicting Accounts
The police version differs sharply from the bailiffs’ and the NBA’s accounts. The police describe officers who responded to a distress call, queried the bailiffs and withdrew. The bailiffs say the DPO ordered them to stop despite a valid warrant and that his officers assaulted them. The police statement does not address the alleged tearing of clothes, the attempt to take the warrant, or the alleged attempt to force a bailiff into a police vehicle. Some outlets have also given different names and details for the officials involved, including the IGP. 247ureports.com has used the names given by Odinkalu and the NBA branch.
What’s Next
As of this report, the police had not named the DPO or announced disciplinary action, and there was no direct response from the IGP to Odinkalu’s call. The outcome of the command’s assessment is yet to be made public.
