Police Harass, Invite NBA Gwagwalada Chairman N.D. Abdulsalam Esq after Criticism of Tinubu ADC, Lieutenant-Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf
The Nigeria Police Force has invited the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gwagwalada Branch, Mr N.D. Abdulsalam, for questioning over allegations of criminal intimidation and defamation of character, in a development that has raised fresh concerns about the use of police powers in a dispute involving President Bola Tinubu’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Lieutenant-Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf, who is also the Elemona of Ilemona in Kwara State.
In an invitation letter dated November 4, 2026, the Divisional Police Officer, Wuse Division, Abuja, CSP Nimyel Ponfa, requested Abdulsalam to report to the Wuse Divisional Headquarters for an interview with the police.
The letter, with reference number AR:3000/FCT/WE/VOL.22/104, stated that the police were investigating a case of criminal intimidation and defamation of character in which Abdulsalam’s name had featured prominently.
He was directed to meet the Divisional Police Officer through the Investigating Police Officer, Inspector Johnson Adeyebo, at the Wuse Divisional Headquarters, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, on or before November 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
The police cited Section 53(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 in the invitation.
The development comes amid allegations that the NBA Chairman has been subjected to police intimidation following his criticism of Lieutenant-Colonel Yusuf over alleged abuse of power and land grabbing in Ilemona, Kwara State.
Abdulsalam, who hails from Offa, a neighbouring town to Ilemona, had reportedly raised concerns over the alleged conduct of the presidential ADC in the community.
The latest invitation has also drawn attention because of earlier police actions involving the NBA Chairman. On November 3, more than 10 police officers were reportedly dispatched from the Kwara State Police Command to Abuja in connection with efforts to arrest him.
The NBA FCT Chairmen Forum has strongly condemned what it described as a campaign of intimidation against Abdulsalam, accusing the presidential ADC of using state institutions to pursue a private grievance.
In a statement titled “NBA FCT Chairmen Forum Condemns Judicial Ambush and Police Intimidation of Gwagwalada NBA Chairman by ADC to President Tinubu,” the Forum expressed concern over what it characterised as the alleged weaponisation of the Kwara State Judiciary and the Nigeria Police Force against a serving NBA Branch Chairman.
The Forum maintained that any legitimate grievance arising from a private dispute should be pursued through appropriate civil proceedings before a competent court, rather than through the use of police powers to intimidate a legal practitioner.
It further disclosed that the Forum, alongside concerned legal practitioners, had instituted and served a Fundamental Rights Enforcement suit against the Inspector-General of Police over the issues surrounding Abdulsalam.
The Forum called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene, uphold the institutional integrity of the Nigeria Police Force and ensure that the constitutional rights of the NBA Chairman are respected.
The fresh invitation now places the police investigation under increased scrutiny, particularly against the background of the NBA Forum’s allegations that law enforcement powers are being deployed to intimidate a lawyer over a dispute involving the President’s Aide-de-Camp.
While the police invitation identifies criminal intimidation and defamation of character as the subject of investigation, it does not specify the particular statements or conduct attributed to Abdulsalam. It also does not expressly state that the investigation arose from his criticism of Lieutenant-Colonel Yusuf.
The police have yet to publicly provide further details of the allegations against the NBA Chairman.
