NIGERIA: Sowore Confronts Minister Umahi At FCT Police Command Over Alleged Illegal Detention Of Woman In N250 Million Debt Dispute

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has accused the Nigeria Police Force of facilitating the harassment and unlawful detention of a woman at the FCT Command in Abuja.

Sowore made the claim after personally intervening at the police headquarters on Wednesday where he confronted the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, whom he alleged was using the facility to intimidate the complainant.

In a detailed account posted on his social media platforms, Sowore described the incident involving Tracy Nither Nicolas Ohiri, a married woman from Lagos who was arrested on allegations of “cyberbullying” and flown to Abuja.

He stated that her real offense was accusing Minister Umahi of owing her N250 million for over 12 years, a matter he described as a civil dispute rather than a criminal one.

“Today at the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja, I confronted the Minister of Works, David Umahi inside a conference room where police operatives had effectively set up shop for him to harass a woman who accused him of owing her and making a pass at her years ago. A married woman, Tracy Nither Nicolas Ohiri had been illegally arrested in Lagos on allegations of ‘cyberbullying,’ flown to Abuja, and detained. Her alleged offense was accusing David Umahi of owing her N250 million for over 12 years, a claim that, at its core, is a civil dispute,” Sowore wrote.

According to Sowore, rather than treating the issue as a civil matter, the police escalated it into a criminal case and arranged a meeting inside the command where Umahi allegedly threatened, intimidated, and denigrated the woman.

He claimed that upon his arrival with others, the police quickly ended the session and Umahi left the premises angry. Sowore further alleged that after the minister’s departure, the police refused to grant bail or release the woman, and quoted Umahi as saying on his way out, “she’s not seen anything.”

Sowore condemned the police action as an abuse of power and misuse of state facilities to settle personal scores, calling for the immediate release of the detained woman and an investigation into the conduct of both the minister and the officers involved.

The FCT Police Command and the Minister of Works had not issued official responses to the allegations at the time of this report.

The incident has reignited debate about the politicization of security agencies and the handling of civil disputes involving high-profile public

officials in Nigeria.