The National Judicial Council (NJC) has been urged to investigate a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court judge following the sealing of a property located in Lekki, Lagos State, based on an order issued from Abuja.
The call followed an order granted by Justice Othman Usman of the FCT High Court in a property dispute marked FCT/HC/CV/4636/2025, instituted against the Nigeria Police.
Raising objections to the ruling, a civil society organisation, the Africa Centre for Good Governance and Corruption Free Communities, accused the judge of exceeding his jurisdiction by authorising the sealing of a Lagos-based property while sitting as an FCT High Court judge in Abuja.
The group’s convener, Comrade Temitope Olubunmi Joseph, demanded a comprehensive investigation into the matter and possible disciplinary action against the judge if any wrongdoing is established.
In a statement issued on Monday, the 5th of January, 2026, Joseph said, “We have watched with keen interest proceedings in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/4636/2025, a case for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights instituted by Mr. Henry Ugonna Orabuchi Vs Nigeria Police Force and Others.
“Ordinarily, we, as an organisation and stakeholder in the Nigeria project are not supposed to dabble into the matter because it is before a competent court of law and may amount to subjudice but we feel a responsibility is placed on us to draw the attention of the leadership of the judiciary, particularly, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Kudirat Kelere-Ekun and the National Judicil Council, NJC, to events and occurrence that are not going on well in our courts, particularly, when the courts are being used to take away the rights of ordinary Nigerians.”
Joseph explained that the plaintiff, Mr. Henry Ugonna Orabuchi, approached the FCT High Court through a fundamental rights enforcement suit, seeking to restrain the Nigeria Police from inviting, harassing, or intimidating him over a property dispute in Lagos State.
He stated that the property in dispute is located at the back of Plot No. A, Block 12, Lekki Peninsula Scheme, Lagos State, and that Orabuchi’s suit was aimed at stopping police actions connected to the matter.
According to the statement, “Mr. Elvis Emecheta, a Lagos businessman and owner of the disputed property reported the unlawful activities of Mr.
Orabuchi, who resorted to self help by forcefully occupying the property and destroying parts of it.
“Mr. Orabuchi was invited by the police to state his own side of the story, rather than honour police invitation, he ran to the FCT High court to stop the police from doing their job by inviting him. In the suit, Mr. Orabuchi had alleged that his fundamental Rights as guaranteed under Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 41, and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and Articles 9 and 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, have been breached.
“He claimed that he purchased 3,000 square meters of reclaimed land at the back of the above address from the Landlord, Mr. Emecheta Elvis Eze, which has nothing to do with the premises where the affected business entities are located.
“Mr. Orabuchi filed the suit to shield him from honouring invitation of the Nigeria Police Force, following a Petition against him by Mr. Emecheta, alleging conduct that amounts to criminal trespass, damage to property and threat to life.
“Mr. Orabuchi, in the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by his Counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, said the police invitation infringes on his fundamental rights and is aimed at compelling him into relinquishing his lawful proprietary and contractual rights over the 3,000 square meters of reclaimed land behind the sealed up property. In his Exparte application before the Court, Ojukwu urged the Court to grant an Exparte Order to seal up the Lagos property.
“The court presided over by Justice Othman Musa granted the order on on November 24, 2025 to seal and secure the entire property, including the reclaimed land at the back of the property measuring 3,000 square meters. He also ordered the immediate stoppage of all construction works, activities, actions, or steps on the said property while ensuring that no person, authority, or entity howsoever described is permitted access to or entry upon the property pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit pending before the court.
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“Following the Exparte order of the court which was supposed to have been vacated, having elapsed, on December 30, 2025, all the occupants of the property and their workers were forcefully chased out of their business premises and the property was sealed up by people who introduced themselves as officers of the FCT High Court, from Abuja.
“All efforts by the various business owners to explain to the FCT Court officials that their business premises is different from the 3,000 square meters of the reclaimed land behind it was rebuffed as they were sent out of their business premises without any notice or justification,” Joseph added.
The civic group argued that Justice Othman Musa lacked the jurisdiction to order the sealing of a property located in Lagos State, insisting that such authority rests solely with courts sitting in Lagos.
The statement further read, “We, as an organisation are demanding a probe into the activities of Justice Othman Musa, regarding the case and possible sanction. We cannot explain a situation where a judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja will give an Exparte order to seal up a property in Lagos, where his jurisdiction does not extend to.
“To us, clearly, the judge does not have the jurisdiction to do that. The disputed property is outside his jurisdiction and should not have made the order he issued. Moreso, the order was made, on November 24, 2025 and should have elapsed, yet, it was not vacated. We are calling on relevant bodies in the Judiciary to call Justice Othman to order and we make bold to say that, if this trend continues in the case, we will have no option than to write a formal petition to the NJC to report the honourable judge for sanction.”