A leading civil society organisation, the Coalition for Rule of Law and Civic Accountability (CRoLCA), has accused senior lawyer and former governorship candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, of abusing his status as a legal practitioner by allegedly deploying the machinery of the state to harass, intimidate, and persecute a private citizen over what it described as a purely civil dispute.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the leader of the group and legal practitioner, Dr. Abdullahi Idirisu, Esq., said CRoLCA was condemning what it described as a “deeply troubling misuse of police power” in the ongoing controversy involving Mr. Adedamola Adetayo, an Abeokuta-based citizen and known critic of Chief Oke.
The group said it was alarmed that a lawyer of Chief Oke’s standing, who “ought to be a custodian of the law and a defender of constitutional liberties,” is now being linked through court filings and formal correspondence to actions that allegedly undermine the very foundations of the rule of law.
“It is both ironic and disturbing that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who has benefited immensely from the legal system, is now accused of weaponising that same system against a common citizen. Defamation, assuming without conceding that it exists, is a civil matter. It is not a licence for intimidation, surveillance, or coercive police tactics.” The statement said.
CRoLCA noted that documents before the Federal High Court indicate that despite a formal police invitation and a lawful response from Adetayo’s lawyers, backed by medical reports confirming that he is hypertensive and asthmatic, police pressure allegedly persisted, including repeated calls and threats insisting that he travel from Abeokuta to Abuja under conditions said to endanger his health and safety.
The group described the insistence on dragging a civilian across states, despite clear medical, security, and logistical constraints, as oppressive, vindictive, and wholly inconsistent with democratic policing.
“The Nigeria Police Force is one, constitutionally and operationally. There is no law that compels a citizen, especially one with documented medical vulnerabilities, to embark on a perilous journey when lawful alternatives exist.” The group added.
The civil society body warned that the matter has now transcended a private dispute and entered the realm of professional misconduct and abuse of influence. It announced its intention to formally petition the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), urging both bodies to investigate Chief Oke’s alleged role in what it termed the criminalisation of civil disagreement.
“No lawyer, regardless of rank or political pedigree, is above ethical scrutiny. If members of the Bar are permitted to use the coercive powers of the state to settle personal scores, especially when there is a subsisting court process, the legal profession itself becomes complicit in tyranny.” The group said.
The organisation further cautioned that continued silence from professional and regulatory bodies would embolden impunity and erode public confidence in both the justice system and the legal profession. Calling for restraint and a return to lawful conduct, the group urged all parties involved to respect due process and allow the courts to determine the issues without fear, intimidation, or abuse of power.
“Nigeria cannot claim to be governed by law while influential individuals allegedly deploy the police as private enforcers, more so when one of such individuals is a legal practitioner. This case must serve as a test of our collective commitment to justice, equality before the law, and the ethical standards of the legal profession.” The statement concluded.
