Tinubu ADC: FCT NBA Branches Drag IGP to Court Over Police Harassment of NBA Gwagwalada Branch Chairman

The Forum of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Branch Chairmen in the Federal Capital Territory has taken the police intimidation of the Chairman of the NBA Gwagwalada Branch, Mr N.D. Abdulsalam, to court, disclosing that it has instituted a Fundamental Rights Enforcement suit against the Inspector-General of Police.

The intervention follows successive unsuccessful attempts to arrest Abdulsalam after his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Lieutenant-Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf, who is also the Elemona of Ilemona in Kwara State, over allegations of abuse of power and land grabbing in the community.

The controversy intensified after more than 10 police officers were reportedly dispatched from the Kwara State Police Command to Abuja on November 3, 2026, in an unsuccessful attempt to arrest the NBA chairman.

A fresh invitation issued to Abdulsalam by the Wuse Divisional Police Headquarters on November 4 over allegations of criminal intimidation and defamation of character has further heightened the dispute.

Reacting to the developments, the NBA FCT Chairmen Forum issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it described as the targeted harassment, judicial ambush and illegal deployment of state apparatus against the branch chairman.

In the statement titled, “NBA FCT Chairmen Forum Condemns Judicial Ambush and Police Intimidation of Gwagwalada NBA Chairman by ADC to President Tinubu,” the Forum expressed grave concern over what it characterised as the weaponisation of the Kwara State Judiciary and the Nigeria Police Force to turn a private dispute into a campaign of intimidation against a legal practitioner and leader of the Bar.

The Forum specifically identified Lieutenant-Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf, the ADC to President Tinubu and Elemona of Ilemona, in its condemnation of the developments.

It maintained that if Yusuf had any lawful claim or grievance against Abdulsalam, the appropriate recourse was to institute a civil action before a court of competent jurisdiction.

According to the Forum, deploying police powers to harass a sitting NBA branch chairman over personal affairs amounted to an unconstitutional abuse of office.

The NBA leaders subsequently called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene immediately and ensure that the police institution was not used to advance the interests of highly placed individuals.

“The NBA FCT Chairmen Forum formally calls on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately intervene, uphold institutional integrity, and protect the rights of every citizen—rather than bowing to the caprices of an individual, no matter how highly placed,” the statement read.

In a significant escalation of its response, the Forum disclosed that it had joined concerned members of the legal profession to institute and serve a Fundamental Rights Enforcement suit on the Inspector-General of Police.

The Forum said the legal action was taken in response to what it described as a breach of authority and called on the Nigeria Police Force to respect the judicial process.

It further urged the police to discharge their constitutional responsibilities without allowing themselves to be drawn into what the Forum described as a private dispute.

Declaring its solidarity with Abdulsalam, the Forum called on lawyers across the FCT to demonstrate support for the Gwagwalada Branch Chairman as the legal proceedings unfold.

“We stand unflinchingly with Mr. N.D. Abdulsalam and call on all lawyers across the Federal Capital Territory to demonstrate firm solidarity as legal proceedings unfold. We will not allow the independence of the Bar or the rights of our leaders to be compromised,” the statement added.

The Forum’s intervention comes as Abdulsalam faces another police invitation from the Wuse Divisional Police Headquarters, directing him to appear on or before November 6, 2026, over allegations of criminal intimidation and defamation of character.

The development has placed the Inspector-General of Police at the centre of a growing legal and institutional confrontation, with NBA leaders demanding immediate intervention and insisting that the rights and independence of the legal profession must be protected.

The NBA FCT Chairmen Forum said it would stand with Abdulsalam as the court proceedings continue.