Politics
FCT Police did not formally invite me over officers’ attack
THE Editor of Pinnacle Daily, Sunday Michael Ogwu, has disputed claims by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command that he repeatedly declined invitations to appear before the command and make a statement over his assault by police officer in Lugbe, Abuja.
Ogwu, beaten by police officers in Lugbe on Wednesday, August 19, while documenting a demolition exercise in the area, said he had yet to receive any formal invitation from the command before it issued a statement on Friday, describing him as having declined previous invitations.
The FCT Police Command, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said several invitations had been extended to Ogwu since August 19 to visit the command headquarters, make an official statement and present evidence concerning his claim.
Adeh said the command issued a formal invitation asking Ogwu to appear at its headquarters by 12pm on Friday, August 21.
The police spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi had ordered a thorough probe into the editor’s claim and directed that any officer found culpable should be sanctioned.
She accused Ogwu of declining invitations while he continued to circulate videos about his claim on social media. “Several invitations have been extended to Mr. Ogwu since Wednesday, 19th August, 2026, by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, to visit the Command Headquarters, make an official statement and present relevant evidence to assist the investigation. He has, however, declined to honour the invitations and has continued to circulate videos on social media, seemingly in an attempt to mobilise public sentiment and create undue pressure around an ongoing investigation,” she said.
The command said it remained committed to professionalism, accountability, respect for citizens’ rights and the rule of law.
However, Ogwu, in an interview with The ICIR, said he was the one who initially contacted Adeh after he was directed to her by the command, asking when he could come to the FCT Police Command. According to him, Adeh proposed to meet with him at 1:30pm on Thursday. However, he said he had to inform his lawyers to ensure they will be available at the scheduled time.
He said before he and his lawyers could reach out to Adeh, he saw that the command had issued its statement accusing him of refusing to honour invitations.
Ogwu also challenged the command to identify how and where the alleged earlier invitations were delivered to him.
He said his main phone was damaged during the attack, but he published an alternative means of contacting him on his Facebook page, informing the public that he could be reached through his email and an alternative line.
He questioned why the police did not use either channel if it intended to formally invite him.
Ogwu said the first information he personally saw concerning a formal police invitation was the command’s press release issued Friday afternoon.
He also said that the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president had attempted to mediate between him and the police and that he had communicated his willingness to establish a time to meet the command after consulting his lawyers.
The disagreement comes amid calls for a probe into Ogwu’s assault by police officers in Lugbe.
The ICIR reported that Ogwu accused officers attached to the Lugbe Police Station of beating him and seizing his phone while he was documenting a demolition operation.
Ogwu said he encountered the exercise while taking an evening stroll and began recording what he described as a joint operation involving police officers and members of a vigilante group. He said the officers, led by Ukorobo Uchenna C, a chief superintendent of police and the DPO Lugbe Police Division, seized his phone and ordered that he be beaten up.
He explained further that the officers asked whether he had permission to cover the exercise, stressing that he told them he did not need permission to document the operation because it was taking place in public.
However, Adeh, told The ICIR that the officers involved in the incident could not have been attached to the FCT Police Command, adding that the police “don’t even get involved in demolitions” and that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) was the appropriate authority to contact about the exercise.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
