By Ayomide Otitoju
An Abuja High Court has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to produce for prosecution officers of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) found culpable in the 2017 abduction and disappearance of Mr. John Chukwuemeka Anozie.
Delivering judgment on September 24, 2025, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/865/2025 – Mrs. Nnenna Anozie v. Inspector General of Police, the Federal High Court, Abuja, directed the IGP to furnish Mrs. Nnenna Anozie, wife of the victim, with reports of police investigations into her husband’s abduction.
The court further ordered the IGP to transmit the investigation report and case file to the Attorney General of the Federation and hand over the indicted officers for prosecution. In addition, the court awarded ₦2 million in damages against the IGP for failing to provide the requested reports under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.
Mr. Anozie was reportedly abducted from his Lekki, Lagos home on June 17, 2017, by SARS operatives from Awkuzu, Anambra State. The officers allegedly seized two SUVs, briefcases containing foreign and local currencies, international passports, ATM cards, and other valuables.
Despite an Anambra State High Court order directing the police to release or arraign Mr. Anozie, the police neither complied nor produced him in court. They later claimed he died during interrogation but disobeyed another court order to release his body to his family.
Following several petitions between 2019 and 2023 — including one from Falana & Falana Chambers — investigations reportedly indicted officers ASP Anthony Obiozor Ikechukwu, Sgt. Uzochukwu Emeana, John Eze, and one Oriole (alias T-boy). However, they were never prosecuted.
The case also appeared before the EndSARS Judicial Panel (2020–2022), which ordered a police legal officer, Mr. Ochogwu Ogbeh, to produce the case file. He failed to comply, even after a warrant of arrest was issued.
Frustrated by years of inaction, Mrs. Anozie filed an FOI request for access to the investigation files, but the police ignored it, prompting her to seek redress in court.
In granting her reliefs, the court upheld her right to information and directed immediate steps toward prosecuting the indicted officers, marking a significant development in the long-standing case of enforced disappearance.
