A recent report from an online news channel reveals that Mr. Donald Ekete, the Managing Director of Eketeson Resources Nig Ltd, has obtained an ex-parte order preventing the Inspector General of Police and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Force CID Enugu Annex, from arresting him. This follows allegations that Ekete ordered policemen attached to his firm to assault a truck driver from a rival company, leaving him in a coma.
The incident reportedly occurred on October 1, when three policemen allegedly acting on Ekete’s instructions assaulted Mr. Okechukwu Ofor, a truck driver working for Toshel Nig Ltd. Ofor has since filed a lawsuit against Eketeson Resources and the police officers involved, seeking over ₦600 million in damages for aggravated, exemplary, and general harm.
According to The Bureau Newspaper, on June 3, the three policemen attacked Ofor, leaving him unconscious. He was later dumped at the Independence Layout Police Station by the officers, who fled the scene, assuming he wouldn’t survive the brutal beating. However, Ofor was rescued and revived through the efforts of other policemen, who rushed him to the police clinic at the Enugu State headquarters before transferring him to a hospital for further care.
In a reaction to the controversy, Barrister Chike Udeh, a lawyer based in Enugu, defended Ekete’s legal actions: “It’s important to remember that obtaining an ex-parte order is a legitimate legal recourse for anyone who feels their rights are at risk. Mr. Ekete is merely exercising his legal rights while awaiting due process. We cannot jump to conclusions until all facts are reviewed in court.”
On September 30, The Bureau Newspaper reported that in a move to pressure Ofor into dropping his legal action and a petition to the Inspector General of Police, the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, arrested and remanded Mr. Tochukwu Nzekwe, the Managing Director of Toshel Nig Ltd, in prison. Nzekwe was arraigned on two charges—promoting local war and conspiracy—before Magistrate Chukwu Ani of Enugu North on September 26, 2024.
However, human rights activist Mrs. Adaobi Okafor expressed strong disapproval of the incident: “It is appalling that someone can use policemen attached to him to violate the rights of a fellow citizen, leaving him for dead. No legal maneuver should shield him from facing justice for this grave offense.”
In a legal twist, Ekete, who heads Eketeson Resources, rival to Toshel Nig Ltd, sought refuge in the courts after Nzekwe’s release. He obtained an ex-parte order from Justice C. A. Ogbuabor of the Enugu State High Court, barring the police, Ofor, and Nzekwe from arresting him, pending the hearing of a motion on notice. The order, granted under Suit No. E/863/2024, was dated October 10, 2024.
The ex-parte order, issued by the court, restrained the respondents—Inspector General of Police, AIG Force CID Enugu, Commissioner of Police Force CID Enugu, Mr. Nzekwe, Ofor, and the Enugu State Commissioner of Police—from arresting or infringing on Ekete’s rights pending the substantive application’s determination. The matter was adjourned to October 24, 2024.
Commenting on the broader implications of the case, Mr. Ifeanyi Uzondu, a community leader in Independence Layout, remarked: “What happened to Mr. Ofor is a tragedy. It speaks volumes about the misuse of power and privilege. We must ensure that no one is above the law, and justice must be served in this case.”
