An Ilorin Magistrate Court in Kwara State has ordered the arrest of the state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abbas Mohammed, over his absence in court during an ongoing assault case involving two NSCDC officers.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that the order was given on Wednesday by Chief Magistrate Adebayo Dupe after the commandant failed to appear before the court despite earlier directives.
The court also instructed the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, to ensure the NSCDC boss is arrested and brought before the court on the next hearing date.
The case is linked to an alleged assault on lawyer Aladodo Abdullateef Nurudeen by two NSCDC officers identified as Ajayi Williams Gbolahan and Busari Babatunde.
Counsel to the complainant, Prof. D. A. Ariyo-Osu, told the court that the commandant ignored previous orders directing him to appear personally and produce the officers facing the allegations.
He argued that the failure to obey the court’s directives showed disrespect to the judicial process and asked the court to issue a warrant against the NSCDC boss.
Lawyer representing the accused officers, A. Imam, informed the court that the NSCDC had already written to the office of the Kwara State Chief Judge seeking a transfer of the matter to another court. According to him, the command lost confidence in the current court handling the case.
After listening to both parties, Chief Magistrate Dupe ordered that the NSCDC commandant be arrested and produced before the court on June 10, 2026.
The matter started after the Nigerian Bar Association filed a direct criminal complaint against the two officers over the alleged attack on Barrister Nurudeen at the NSCDC office in Ilorin.
According to the complaint dated April 14, 2026, and signed by NBA secretary Dauda Jimoh, the lawyer visited the NSCDC office on April 10 in connection with a client’s matter when the incident happened.
The association stated that the officers approached the lawyer while he was standing close to his vehicle and allegedly attacked him even after he identified himself as a legal practitioner. The complaint further stated that he was dragged into a room within the NSCDC office where he was reportedly beaten again.
The NBA described the incident as an abuse of authority and said the lawyer suffered injuries and humiliation from the alleged attack. The association also claimed that the state commandant was present during the incident but did not stop the officers.
The complaint accused the officers of assault, intimidation, insult and actions capable of causing harm under sections of the Penal Code Law.
At an earlier sitting, the prosecution, represented by Barrister J. S. Muhammed on behalf of Prof. Ariyo-Osu, informed the court that the commandant had failed to obey an earlier order asking him to produce the accused officers.
The prosecution then requested arrest warrants for the officers and asked the court to compel the commandant to appear.
During that hearing, counsel for the NSCDC, M. M. Kolo, apologised for the commandant’s absence and told the court that one of the accused officers allegedly disappeared after disciplinary action was started against him. He also said the second officer could not be officially identified by the corps.
The court later approved the prosecution’s requests and adjourned the case for further proceedings.