Popular TikToker, Timothy ‘Tumma’ Gabriel, has filed a lawsuit against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging his arrest and prolonged detention.
The case, FHC/ABJ/CS/322/2025, was filed on February 21, 2025, by Abuja-based human rights lawyer, S. M. Oyeghe Esq. Also listed as respondents in the suit are the Nigeria Police Force and CP Uche Ifeanyi Henry, the Director of the Nigeria Police Force-National Cybercrime Center.
Gabriel is asking the court to declare that his arrest and detention since February 6, 2025, as well as his exposure to inhuman and degrading treatment, violate his fundamental right to dignity, as guaranteed under Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
He is also seeking a court ruling that his continued detention from February 6, 2025, until February 14, 2025, or later, is illegal, unlawful, and a violation of his right to liberty.
The lawsuit has sparked discussions on police accountability and human rights abuses in Nigeria, with activists calling for greater oversight of law enforcement practices. The court is expected to hear the case soon.
