Lovelyn Ademike, the widow of slain Lagos-based businessman Lucky Adimike, has sued the inspector general of police, Tunji Disu, and the FCT police commissioner, Ahmed Sanusi, for illegal detention.
The 53-year-old woman, alongside her detained children, filed the suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division. The applicants, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1149/2026, sought their immediate release from police custody.
The widow, Anthony Odirachukwumma Adimike, Stephanie Chinyere Adimike, and Comfort Ajibade (first to fourth applicants) sued the police, Messrs Disu and Sanusi, and the justice minister, Lateef Fagbemi, as the first to fourth respondents, respectively.
Although the widow is not in detention, her two children, Anthony and Stephanie, including Comfort, a friend of her daughter, had been in police custody after the death of her husband, Mr Adimike, was discovered on May 15.
They were alleged to be detained at the FCT Intelligence Response Team detention facility.
The applicants, in the fundamental rights enforcement suit dated June 2 but filed on June 3, prayed the court to stop the violation of their rights to life, dignity of the human person, personal liberty, and freedom of movement, among others.
They sought an order directing Messrs Disu and Sanusi to charge all of them or any of them before an appropriate court if the police investigation established a prima facie case against them or any of the affected applicants.
They also urged the court to thereafter order the police to transmit the original copy of the police investigation case file to Mr Fagbemi, for a legal opinion and necessary administrative action.
In the affidavit in support of the originating motion on notice deposed to by Ms Lovelyn, she said she had been married to the late Mr Adimike for almost 25 years and that the marriage had produced four children.
She disclosed on oath that while her husband’s remains were in a mortuary, his siblings allegedly sent out a caveat online over his properties, shops and his debtors.
Ms Lovelyn insisted that her husband was shot dead “from a gun that had been fitted with a silencer to prevent the entire neighbourhood from hearing the gun when it was being fired in the silence of that night”.
“Having seen my husband’s corpse, I believe that contrary to stories being peddled that my husband had been stabbed to death, my husband had been shot dead,” she stated.
The children and their friend are being held by the police as suspects.
(NAN)
