A 48-year-old police officer, Adebiyi Adenusi, who was allegedly arrested after urging other officers to embark on a strike to demand better welfare, has been granted bail.

According to Sahara Reporters, he was arrested and detained in June after suggesting in a WhatsApp group that officers embark on a strike to demand better welfare for serving and retired personnel.

He was arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Wuse on charges of sedition linked to a police protest.

His counsel, Barrister Samuel Ihensekhien, argued the bail application before Magistrate Ibrahim Okpe. The magistrate who heard the sedition case granted him bail on liberal conditions.

Despite serving in the Nigerian Force for 23 years, Adebisi was kept in custody even after being formally dismissed

A family source told the aforementioned publication that Adenusi’s ordeal began after he commented in a police WhatsApp group, Intelligence Information Unit, created by one Prince Emoruwa Olabode from Ondo State.

According to the source, on June 18, 2025, an officer identified as Rukevwe shared a viral video of a retired police superintendent who reportedly received only ₦2 million as a retirement benefit.

In reaction, Adenusi commented that officers should consider embarking on a strike to demand better welfare, a post he later deleted.

Unknown to him, someone had taken a screenshot of the comment and forwarded it to higher authorities.

The family source said shortly after, Adenusi was invited to the Ekiti State Police Headquarters, where he was arrested and subsequently transferred to Abuja.

The source said that when Adenusi arrived in Abuja, he was taken to the IGP’s office. Later, eight other officers linked to the WhatsApp group were also arrested, including three administrators.

The arrested officers were identified as ASP Morawem Kingsley (Edo Command), Inspector Kaleb Daniel (Delta Command), Inspector Otamere Ewamade (23 PMF, Lagos), Inspector Fasoyim Ayodeji, Inspector Ologun Oreoluwa (Ogun Command), Sgt Raji Nifule (Ogun Command), Emomuna Olabode (Ondo Command), and Inspector Adeleke Ramonu (Mopol 25, Abuja).

According to the family source, the officers were detained for 17 days, tried in an orderly room, and on July 10, Adenusi was dismissed from the force.

However, the other officers had their ranks reduced but were released on August 4, 2025