By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

A human rights lawyer, Mike Kebonkwu, has alleged unlawful detention of citizens by law enforcement agencies, asking authorities to immediately look into the situation.

He regretted that the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, of the Nigeria Police have continued to engage in widespread illegal detentions and arbitrary arrests of citizens, noting that the country could fall back to the dark days of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.

According to him, changing SARS to IRT is mere cosmetic and has not changed the notorious practice of the operatives in right abuses.

“It is our demand that the government and authorities concerned do not pretend that these abuses do not exist or gloss over it as that will be a recipe for disaster in the event of violent protest or riot.

“The unlawful detention of citizens by law enforcement agencies is a grave concern that requires immediate action.  The irreducible minimum demand is that right of citizens must be respected even when being investigated.

“ We recognize the rights and duties of the law enforcement agencies to carry out their constitutional duties but it must be carried out in accordance with the law and due process in a professional manner, “he said at a news conference, yesterday.

The lawyer, who is the Principal Partner, Konyen-Hi Kebonkwu Chambers,called on the government as a matter of urgency  to investigate all allegations of unlawful detention and bring the perpetrators to justice;ensure that all detainees are treated in accordance with the due process of law;establish an independent review mechanism to monitor and oversight law enforcement agencies and

ban on activities of the IRT.

The legal practitioner, while citing the case of Buba Mohammed, a resident of Girim village in Busari Local Government Area of Yobe State, revealed that the victim was picked up on March 17, 2025, and has since been held at the IRT facility in Guzape, Abuja, without bail or charge.

Speaking further, he said:“We have witnessed an alarming incidence of unlawful and arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens by law enforcement agencies, which has become commonplace. This is a widespread practice amongst security agencies, especially the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in particular, which operates like a Gestapo, going to any part of the country to arrest and bring the suspects to Abuja and dump them in cells under dehumanizing conditions.

“It has metamorphosed into the disbanded dreaded Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS), operating without supervision or control. Their operations are not intelligence-driven in any sense of the word.

“It has become necessary to draw the attention of stakeholders and the general public in order to stem this ugly development of impunity and the arrogant display of power by security agents. The practice involves detaining individuals without charge and beyond constitutional limit, without the order of a court and without charges.”

Noting that unlawful arrest and detention is a serious violation of human rights and fundamental principles of justice, Kebonkwu noted that such tactics violate Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to personal liberty and mandates that suspects be brought before a court within 24 to 48 hours.

He lamented that citizens, especially young people, government critics, and journalists, are frequently detained without justification, denied medical care, and often subjected to torture and forced confessions.

The legal practitioner called for urgent government intervention to stem the growing abuse and restore public trust in law enforcement institutions.