By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
Alaw firm, Urbane Attorneys & Solicitors, has filed petitions before Nigeria’s Senate leadership and the Inspector-General of Police, seeking investigations into allegations of abuse of office, human rights violations, and an alleged violent police operation linked to Adeyemi Raphael Adaramodu, the Senate spokesman and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth Development.
The petitions dated March 4, were submitted on behalf of Adeniyi Oluwagbotemi, a 22-year-old Nigerian citizen, who was assaulted and unlawfully detained by officers of the Ekiti State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) during a raid on his residence in Abuja on February 20, 2026.
The petitions accused the Senator of being behind Adeniyi’s assault and detention.
In the petition addressed to the Senate President through the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, the lawyers requested the immediate suspension of Senator Adaramodu from his roles as Senate spokesman and Chairman of the Youth Development Committee pending a full investigation.
It is titled “Petition of Urgent National Importance Seeking the Immediate Suspension of Senator Adeyemi Raphael Adaramodu as Senate Spokesman and Chairman, Senate Committee on Youth Development, Pending a Comprehensive Investigation into Allegations of Gross Abuse of Office and Human Rights Violations.”
“We act as Solicitors to Adeniyi Oluwagbotemi, a 22-year-old law-abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… on whose instructions we write this urgent petition,” the petition reads.
According to the petition, armed operatives identified as members of the Ekiti State Rapid Response Squad carried out a violent invasion of the client’s residence.
The lawyers wrote: “Our client was subjected to severe physical battery, resulting in serious and documented bodily harm; He was handcuffed, abducted from his premises, and arbitrarily detained without a valid warrant or lawful justification.”
The petition further alleges that the victim was denied medical care despite visible injuries.
“Despite visible bleeding and obvious physical trauma, he was callously denied access to immediate and necessary medical treatment,” it states.
It also alleges that digital evidence of the assault was deliberately erased.
“While in custody, digital evidence capturing the invasion and subsequent assault was deliberately and unlawfully deleted from his devices in a clear attempt to pervert the course of justice,” it reads.
The lawyers argued that the incident may be connected to advocacy by the client’s mother concerning public funds allocated for youth development projects.
According to the petition: “Prior to this incident, our client’s mother had maintained a principled and uncompromising stance regarding the transparent management of the N20 billion appropriated for youth development projects.”
The lawyers added that her position was based on accountability in the use of public funds.
“Her advocacy was simple and patriotic: public funds earmarked for the advancement of Nigerian youth must be shielded from diversion, mismanagement, or any form of financial impropriety,” it says.
The petition further states that the timing of events raises serious concerns, saying, “While this petition relies on the presumption of innocence, the chronological proximity of her advocacy to the violent invasion of our client’s home raises a compelling and deeply disturbing inference: that state security apparatus was weaponized to intimidate and silence demands for accountability.”
The lawyers emphasized the importance of protecting the credibility of the Senate.
“The Spokesman of the Senate is not merely a designated official; he is the moral compass and public face of the Red Chamber,” the petition says.
They also described the allegations as particularly troubling given the senator’s role overseeing youth-related matters.
“It is a tragic irony that a public official entrusted with the mandate of ‘Youth Development’ is now inextricably linked to the violent assault and unlawful detention of a 21-year-old Nigerian youth,” the petition says.
