By Bolaji O. Akinyemi
CITIZENS COMPASS—I warned that what is coming in 2027 may be nothing short of war—unless Nigeria wakes up. Today, I turn the spotlight on the Nigeria Police Force and its role in the unfolding Alimosho crisis. Democracy cannot survive when the very institution charged with protecting order and liberty becomes the barricade against both.
The letters that tell the story
On 1st September 2025, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) formally wrote to the Divisional Police Officer, Gowon Estate, Alimosho. The letter was clear and courteous:
“We kindly seek your esteemed office’s support in granting us the necessary permit and providing adequate police presence to ensure security of lives and property throughout the program.”
The Area Commander, Idimu, was also notified through a similar letter. The ADC did not only comply with the law; they bent backwards to accommodate the police as partners in peace. The gathering, Coalition Convergence – ADC Group Affirmation in Alimosho LGA, was billed for 6th September at Lion’s Field.
This is what constitutional democracy demands: openness, accountability, and coordination with state institutions. What happened next was betrayal of that trust.
When Police serve two masters
Despite formal notifications, despite the clarity of the request, Lion’s Field was sealed on the eve of the event. The justification? The infamous phrase: “orders from above.”
Yet while the ADC was locked out of its paid venue, reports emerged that members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were allowed to hold a programme there. The very field ADC paid for became a theatre for their rivals.
And when ADC members regrouped, thugs and hoodlums descended on them. Witnesses confirm that the Police, who claimed to be on the ground to “maintain law and order,” melted away at the critical moment. Their exit paved the way for violence.
So let us be clear: the Nigeria Police did not “maintain peace.” They facilitated partisanship. They created the vacuum into which violence rushed. They betrayed the very Constitution they swore to uphold.
The IGP’s doubtful capacity
This tragedy throws into sharp relief the question: is Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police, fit for purpose? Omoyele Sowore and many other Nigerians have cried out repeatedly that Egbetokun’s tenure elongation serves not the country, but his principal’s political exigencies.
Kayode Egbetokun served as Chief Security Officer to Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2005. While there are claims about his involvement in various activities during that period, some specific allegations, such as his role in removing Madam Kofoworola Bucknor, remain unconfirmed. Egbetokun is currently the Inspector General of Police, appointed by President Tinubu in June 2023.
The Nigeria Police is not supposed to explain away violence; it is mandated to prevent, investigate, and prosecute it. Yet in Alimosho, it stood down while democracy was assaulted.
A state government complicit
The Lagos State Government cannot wash its hands of this affair. Lion’s Field is a public space within its jurisdiction. When an opposition party books and pays for it, and is then forcefully locked out while the ruling party gains entry, responsibility cannot stop at the Commissioner of Police. The local government that administratively controls Alimosho is equally culpable.
The question is simple: who authorised APC to use the venue? Who signed the paper, collected the rent, and looked the other way as police blocked ADC? Until Lagos State produces answers, the narrative remains one of deliberate collusion to suffocate pluralism.
Democracy under siege
Nigeria’s courts have already spoken: in IGP v. ANPP (2007), requiring police permits for rallies was declared unconstitutional. Section 137 of the Police Act 2020 is unequivocal: officers are not bound to obey unlawful orders. International law, through ICCPR Article 21 and the African Charter, reinforces these guarantees.
Yet here we are in 2025, watching police cite “orders from above” to barricade political association. This is not just incompetence. It is complicity. And complicity at this scale is nothing less than an attempt to assassinate democracy.
The dangerous precedent
What happened in Alimosho is not isolated. It fits a pattern: disruption of ADC activities in Kaduna, summonses of opposition leaders, and now the violent lockout in Lagos. These events point to a ruling elite determined to shrink political space before ballots are ever cast.
This is fear, not strength. It is fear of opposition momentum. Fear of free association. Fear of democracy itself. And history tells us: regimes that govern by fear collapse into chaos.
The road to 2027
Alimosho is the warning shot. In 2023, Lagosians shocked the so-called “owners of Lagos.” Thugs and motor-park warlords were unleashed, voters were chased away, and mandates were transferred from ballots to gavels. Now those same warlords are being mainstreamed through local government elections—armed not only with clubs but with state-backed legitimacy.
If Police continue down this path of partisanship, Nigeria will not arrive at 2027 with stability intact. We will arrive at a battlefield where the line between thugs and law enforcement disappears.
A call to resistance and oversight
Opposition parties must treat Alimosho not as a local scuffle but as a national alarm. Nigerians must recognise that this is no longer about who wins in Lagos—it is about whether democracy itself will survive.
Civil society must demand answers:
Who gave the “orders from above”?
Why were APC allowed to use a venue ADC paid for?
Why did Police abandon ADC members to thugs?
The National Assembly, judiciary, and international community must take notice. Silence will embolden impunity.
Conclusion: Assassination of democracy
The Nigeria Police cannot be both referee and striker. Yet in Alimosho, it chose to dribble for the ruling party. That is not democracy—it is authoritarianism in Police uniform.
Unless Nigerians rise, unless the international community insists on accountability, we will walk into 2027 with our eyes wide open—into a war that could have been averted.
Lion’s Field has become more than a playground. It is the test case for whether Nigeria will allow its democracy to live or watch it be assassinated in broad daylight.
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and nation builder.
