Organisation says Nnamdi Emeh is unknown in its databases; no Red Notice was ever issued
INTERPOL has denied any role in the arrest and forced repatriation of Nnamdi Daniel Emeh, a Nigerian whistleblower seized in the Republic of Benin in March 2023 and returned to Nigeria, where he has remained in detention ever since.
The denial came in an email response to the Nigeria Observatory for Human Rights (NOHR), which had contacted the international policing body amid widespread claims by Nigerian civil society groups and media that an Interpol Red Notice had been used to facilitate Emeh’s arrest. “Mr. Nnamdi is not known in INTERPOL’s databases and no Red Notice or wanted persons diffusion has been issued for him,” the organisation stated.
INTERPOL further clarified the limits of its powers, noting that it has no authority to arrest or extradite any individual, nor can it instruct member countries to do so. “Any arrests in an INTERPOL member country are made by national law enforcement authorities in accordance with national laws,” the statement read.
The organisation also drew a distinction often lost in public discourse: while National Central Bureaus — the domestic arms of member states — are frequently referred to informally as “INTERPOL Nigeria” or “INTERPOL Benin,” they are fully staffed and operated by the national authorities of their respective countries. Any police action taken by these bureaus, including arrests, is governed entirely by domestic law.
Background
Emeh, an IT consultant, had worked with the Anambra State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) during his National Youth Service Corps year. In early 2023, he was identified as the alleged source of disclosures published on Gistlover, an anonymous Nigerian blog, which detailed serious allegations of human rights abuses within the Anambra State police. The allegations included organ harvesting, extrajudicial killings, extortion, and corruption, and named senior officers including Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Patrick Agbazue, Inspector Harrison Akama, and CSP Nkiru Nwode.
Rather than investigate the allegations, police authorities launched what rights groups have described as a coordinated campaign to identify and silence the source. Fearing for his life, Emeh fled to Benin Republic. He was subsequently arrested there and renditioned back to Nigeria, and has remained in detention since.
INTERPOL’s denial raises fresh questions about which authorities were responsible for coordinating his arrest across international borders , and under what legal authority his repatriation was carried out.
