Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has raised serious concern over what he describes as a persistent culture of alleged cover-ups and weak prosecution in murder cases involving politically exposed and well-connected individuals in Nigeria, calling for urgent action across multiple high-profile cases.
In a statement issued through the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond on May 10, 2026, Falana urged the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and relevant prosecuting authorities to investigate and prosecute a range of violent crime and murder cases he said have been delayed, compromised, or allegedly shielded from full accountability.
Among the cases highlighted was the April 2018 coordinated armed robbery in Offa, Kwara State, in which 33 people including nine police officers were killed. While five suspects have since been convicted and sentenced to death, with the Court of Appeal affirming the judgement, Falana noted the emergence of a N2.1 billion civil suit by victims’ families against the Kwara State Government, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, citing confessional statements alleging political sponsorship of the attack. A 2026 criminal charge filed against Saraki and others was also referenced, with Falana calling for due process to proceed free of political interference.
Falana also revisited the 2019 abduction of Kaduna-based lecturer Abubakar Idris Dadiyata, who was reportedly seized from his home by masked men. He referenced conflicting political claims surrounding the case and allegations that Dadiyata may have been killed in security custody, calling for transparent investigation into what he characterised as a possible case of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing.
Additional cases raised included the arrest of Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi, wanted for alleged killings tied to land disputes in Lagos State’s Ajiran community, who was apprehended by INTERPOL in Benin Republic; the death of Chief Lukman Ojora Arounfale, allegedly following a violent confrontation at the Alaafin of Oyo’s palace in April 2025; the August 2025 killing of six traders at Owode-Onirin market in Lagos, for which four policemen were released on grounds of self-defence, a decision Falana questioned citing ballistic and post-mortem evidence; and the April 2026 shooting of a handcuffed suspect in Delta State by a police officer, who has since been dismissed and arrested.
Falana warned that the country faces a deepening crisis of accountability in its criminal justice system, driven by alleged political interference, prosecutorial compromise, and the institutional protection of suspects. He urged security and prosecuting agencies to ensure that all cases are pursued with equal diligence regardless of the social or political standing of those implicated, stressing that justice must not be applied selectively.
