Lawyers Sue Tinubu, Security Chiefs Over Alleged Threats to Peter Obi’s Life, Cite Funsho Williams Assassination

Lawyers Sue Tinubu, Security Chiefs Over Alleged Threats to Peter Obi’s Life, Cite Funsho Williams Assassination A group of lawyers under th...

Lawyers Sue Tinubu, Security Chiefs Over Alleged Threats to Peter Obi’s Life, Cite Funsho Williams Assassination

A group of lawyers under the Obidient Lawyers Forum has filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja against President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo.  

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1648/2026 and filed on July 27, 2026, by Barristers Kingdom Okere and Joseph Ameh, on behalf of the forum and the Incorporated Trustees of Rights for All International, seeks court orders compelling the respondents to provide maximum security protection and intelligence for Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), and other 2027 presidential aspirants.

The applicants argue that the action is necessary to prevent Obi from becoming a victim of political assassination ahead of the 2027 elections. They cite Obi’s recent comments in a live podcast in which he expressed fears that he “may not be alive to contest next year’s presidential election,” attributing the concerns to alleged frustration and intimidation by the federal government.  

They also reference remarks attributed to Governor Okpebholo warning Obi not to enter Edo State without his permission and stating that Obi’s life and security could not be guaranteed in the state. The lawyers describe these comments as unconstitutional, anti-democratic, and an unlawful restriction on Obi’s freedom of movement and political participation under the 1999 Constitution.

At a press briefing following the filing, Barrister Okere invoked the unsolved 2006 assassination of Engineer Funsho Williams, the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Lagos who was bound, strangled, and stabbed to death at his home in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi.  

“We don’t want another Funsho Williams in Nigeria. Peter Obi must not be another victim of a political assassination,” Okere said. He drew parallels between Williams’ death while preparing for the 2007 Lagos governorship race and Obi’s current political trajectory, noting that the killers of Williams have never been publicly identified or convicted by security agencies.  

Some media reports and social media posts have framed the lawyer’s remarks more sharply as an accusation that Tinubu (who was Lagos governor at the time of Williams’ death) was responsible for the killing or is now threatening Obi in a similar manner. The core statements, however, focus on demanding proactive security measures to avoid a repeat of unresolved political violence.

The applicants are asking the court to declare that Obi has a constitutional right to life under Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution and must not be subjected to politically motivated threats, intimidation, harassment, or victimization. They also seek orders directing security agencies to immediately assign personnel for his physical protection.  

No hearing date has been reported yet. The Presidency has previously dismissed Obi’s safety concerns as fabricated narratives intended to attract sympathy, while opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, have called for the protection of all opposition leaders. The murder of Funsho Williams remains one of Nigeria’s most prominent unsolved high-profile political killings nearly 20 years later.

Family Writers Press International.