79-Year-Old Woman Sues IGP Over Police Escorts For Private Citizens

A 79-year-old businesswoman, Colleen Yesufu, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to compel the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to withdraw police officers attached to private citizens.

Yesufu also prayed for a perpetual injunction restraining the IGP from reassigning members of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) as VIP escorts to private individuals, including one Mrs. Bikikisu Aliyu.

The Lawsuit

Yesufu’s suit, filed through her lawyer, Maxwell Opara, names President Bola Tinubu, the IGP, Mrs. Aliyu (also known as Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac), the National Police Council, and the Nigerian Police Force as respondents.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/26/2025, Yesufu requested the court to determine the validity of President Tinubu’s executive directive issued on November 13, 2023, which ordered the immediate withdrawal of police VIP escorts from citizens not statutorily entitled to them.

Yesufu raised the following issues for determination:

Whether the president’s directive to the IGP for the withdrawal of VIP police escorts is valid and binding.

Whether the duties of the NPF, under Section 4 of the Police Act, should be for the general public rather than a select few.

Whether the IGP’s continued assignment of police escorts to Aliyu and other private individuals is lawful.

Reliefs Sought

The plaintiff is seeking:

A declaration affirming the validity of President Tinubu’s directive.

An order directing the IGP to withdraw all VIP police escorts assigned to Aliyu and others not statutorily entitled.

A perpetual injunction preventing the IGP from reassigning police escorts to Aliyu or any other private individual.

Yesufu accused Aliyu of using police VIP escorts to intimidate and harass her and to evade lawful invitations from agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“The 3rd defendant [Aliyu] currently has a pending case of fraud at the EFCC and has been evading service of invitations and arrest by the commission, using police VIP escorts as her shield,” Yesufu alleged.

She further claimed that despite complaints and petitions, the IGP has refused to comply with the president’s directive, allowing individuals like Aliyu to misuse NPF resources.

Yesufu referenced President Tinubu’s directive, which was confirmed by a police press statement in November 2023, ordering the withdrawal of police personnel attached to private citizens except for those statutorily entitled to such services.

The plaintiff argued that the directive aligns with the president’s constitutional powers under Section 5 and 215(3) of the 1999 Constitution, making the IGP’s failure to comply a breach of the law.

As of the time of filing this report, the case had not been assigned to a judge.