Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has declared unlawful the Nigeria Police Force’s publication declaring Barrister Emmanuel Chinyere Orji, popularly known as N.C. Orji, a wanted person.
The Justice ruled that the action was taken without any lawful authority or court order.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa, in the judgment delivered on Friday, December 5, 2025, held that the police acted outside their constitutional powers.
The court set aside the declaration and granted all the reliefs requested by Orji except the monetary claims totalling N1 billion in exemplary and general damages.
The suit was filed by Orji’s counsel, Mr. Edwin Anikwem (SAN), who appeared with Mr. Yinka Muyiwa under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules.
Orji sought to nullify the Police’s publication of his name and photograph in The Nation newspaper, the Special Police Gazette Bulletin, and on the official website of the Nigeria Police Force, publications that, on August 20, 2025, declared him wanted.
In a firm and detailed judgment, Justice Lewis-Allagoa held that the Police cannot unilaterally declare a citizen wanted without first obtaining an order from a court of competent jurisdiction.
He agreed with the applicant’s counsel that even though the Police have investigative powers, those powers must be exercised strictly in accordance with the law.
Quoting from the legal authorities tendered by Anikwem, the judge stated, “the act of declaring the Applicant a wanted person on the official website of the Police without any prior order or leave of a court of competent jurisdiction, first heard and obtained, is unconstitutional and constitutes a violation of the Applicant’s fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 34 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” according to The Advocate News.
The court also issued declarations affirming the illegality of the publication and set aside the Police’s wanted notice.
It also ordered the Inspector General of Police to retract and quash the publication and to issue an apology to Orji.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa, however, dismissed Orji’s two separate claims of N500 million each in damages.
During the hearing, Anikwem (SAN), argued that the Police acted “precipitously and unlawfully” by declaring Orji wanted without any supporting court order.
He told the court that the publication exposed his client, an experienced legal practitioner of over 20 years, to reputational harm, public stigma, and the risk of unlawful arrest.
He stressed that the wanted notice portrayed Orji as a fugitive, went viral globally, and caused “severe personal and professional damage.”
In agreeing with these submissions, the court observed that security agencies cannot sidestep constitutional protections while exercising investigative powers.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa’s judgment reinforces the principle that the power to declare individuals wanted is not absolute and must be subject to judicial oversight.
The Nigeria Police Force is expected to comply immediately with the court directives.
