The Nigeria Police Force has withdrawn a criminal charge filed against Enugu-based estate developer and businessman, Nebo Kingsley, after an internal investigation reportedly found no evidence linking him to a murder case for which he had been accused.
Court documents obtained by SaharaReporters show that the Inspector-General of Police, through the Directorate of Legal Services at Force Headquarters, Abuja, filed a Notice of Withdrawal/Discontinuance in Charge No. E/14C/2026 before the High Court of Enugu State.
The notice, dated May 19, 2026, informed the court that the charge against Kingsley should be discontinued following recommendations from the police legal department calling for further investigation into the matter.
“By this Notice of Withdrawal/Discontinuance, the Charge pending before this Court against the Defendant herein is hereby withdrawn and the Court is urged to strike out,” the police legal team stated in the filing signed by J.I. Kpandegh and Vaminu Abubakar of the Directorate of Legal Services.
The development marks a dramatic turn in a case that had generated controversy after the Nigeria Police Force Complaint Response Unit (CRU) released an interim investigation report alleging serious misconduct by officers attached to the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), Abuja, and the SWAT Unit of the Enugu State Command.
On March 1, 2026, SaharaReporters published details from the CRU report, which investigated the circumstances surrounding Kingsley’s arrest, detention, and subsequent prosecution.
According to the report, Kingsley, Chief Executive Officer of Bishtec Soft Consult Ltd and Dandatec Real Estate, became entangled in the murder investigation amid a long-running dispute over land located at Agu Ovolo in Etiti-Ngwo Community, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The CRU report with ref: CB:4099/CRU/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.1/23 traced the dispute to a documented 2020 agreement under which Bishtec Soft Consult Ltd acquired 200 plots of land from the Etiti-Ngwo community.
Investigators found that disputes later emerged over the property, resulting in confrontations between the developer and some members of the community.
According to the findings, Kingsley had reported incidents of alleged invasion, destruction of property and disruption of development activities to the police before a counter-petition was subsequently filed against him.
The report reveals how these units collaborated with a local community leader to kidnap, torture, and frame the Enugu-based businessman for murder following the disputed land transaction.
The report, with tracking number TCRU100510-B, provides a forensic look into the ordeal of Kingsley, who was suspected to have been targeted because he refused to yield his legally acquired property to land-grabbers.
The CRU investigation found that the root of the crisis was a consensual 2020 land agreement between the Etiti-Ngwo community and Kingsley’s firm for 200 plots of land.
However, the report indicates that by September 2024, the Vice President-General of the community, Onyebuchi Ugwu, began a campaign of violence to reclaim the land.
When legal avenues failed Ugwu, he allegedly pivoted to a more lethal strategy, framing Kingsley for the murder of an individual identified as Sochima Onuh. The police report notes that despite the lack of a shred of evidence linking Kingsley to the death, FID-IRT officers from Abuja acted on Ugwu’s “malicious petition” with extreme prejudice.
The CRU investigators were blunt in their assessment of this motive, stating that the IRT’s actions were a “disturbing pattern of abuse of power” designed to assist Ugwu in a civil matter. The report highlights that the IRT “indicted Mr. Nebo Kingsley in an interim report on alleged conspiracy” despite the fact that “no incriminating evidence was found against him”.
The report, dated February 25, 2026, and signed by CSP Antetie Okokon Iniedu, describes a “commando-style operation” on August 15, 2025, where IRT personnel, working with Ugwu’s associates, tracked Kingsley to a ‘Shoprite mall’ in Enugu.
The findings reveal a scene of state-sanctioned thuggery: “The complainant (Onyebuchi Ugwu) and his group… in the presence of FID-IRT personnel from Abuja, launched a commando-style operation, violently assaulting Mr. Nebo Kingsley in a public space. He was tear-gassed, his clothes were shredded, and he was bundled into a vehicle.”
Rather than intervening to stop the assault, the IRT officers reportedly facilitated the violence, ensuring Kingsley was sufficiently brutalised before being moved to the SWAT facility in Enugu.
The ‘Black Site’ Torture and Staged Confessions
Once at the SWAT Enugu facility, Kingsley entered a nightmare of institutionalised torture. The CRU report confirms that he was held in a manner that “violates Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution,” which prohibits torture and degrading treatment.
The report provides harrowing details of the interrogation, stating, “Mr. Kingsley was chained, assaulted, and coerced into making a confession to an offence unknown to him. The officers recorded a ‘staged’ confession under duress… this act constitutes a grave violation of Section 29 of the Evidence Act 2011.”
In a move described by investigators as “cyberbullying and professional misconduct,” the officers allegedly used the victim’s own seized devices to circulate the video of the tortured, half-naked businessman on social media to destroy his reputation.
During this period, his iPad, Samsung phone, and ₦140,000 in cash were “confiscated and unaccounted for,” crippling his ability to seek help.
The investigation also exposes a breakdown in the police chain of command, revealing that when CRU investigators arrived at the Enugu State Command to verify Kingsley’s condition, they met stiff resistance from local leadership.
The report notes, “The Officer-in-Charge of SWAT Enugu, CSP Enosieke, showed a total lack of cooperation and unprofessionalism by refusing CRU investigators access to the facility… SWAT Enugu failed to keep proper records of the detention, suggesting the facility was used as an unauthorized ‘black site’ for IRT operations.”
The CRU found that the detention exceeded the 48-hour statutory limit, as Kingsley was held for nearly a month without being charged to a court of competent jurisdiction.
The report recommended disciplinary action against implicated officers, a fresh and independent investigation into the murder case, and consideration of compensation and legal redress for Kingsley over alleged violations of his rights.
The CRU also urged the Nigeria Police Force to review the conduct of officers involved in the case and initiate administrative measures where necessary.
The withdrawal of the charge by the Inspector-General of Police’s legal team is being viewed as a significant vindication of the findings contained in the CRU report.
Although the criminal charge against Kingsley has now been discontinued, the police indicated that further investigations into the underlying issues surrounding the case are expected to continue.
The development has renewed scrutiny of allegations of abuse of power, wrongful prosecution and the use of criminal complaints in disputes involving land ownership and commercial interests.
It also raises fresh questions about accountability within specialised police units and the implementation of recommendations made by internal oversight mechanisms of the Nigeria Police Force.
As of the time of filing this report, no criminal court has found Kingsley guilty of any offence connected to the murder allegation that led to his arrest and prosecution.
(SaharaReporters)