By Crystal Ugoeze
In a dramatic turn of events, Chief Ikechi Emenike, Chairman of DER Publications Limited, publishers of The African Economy, Banking & Finance, and AnnualMeetings Daily, was on Thursday forcibly taken away from his office at James Robertson Street, Surulere, Lagos, by armed men who claimed to be operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred at about 2:30 p.m., when several men arrived in two vehicles, entered the premises without a warrant, and whisked Emenike away to an unknown destination. Staff members at DER Publications confirmed that the men, believed to have come from the DSS office in Shangisha, Lagos, refused to provide any formal documentation authorising the arrest.
The sudden abduction has raised serious concerns, especially as it comes against the backdrop of Chief Emenike’s ongoing legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has been widely reported as a case of institutional impunity and disobedience of court orders.
In July, a Vanguard column by journalist Ikechukwu Amaechi titled “Citizen Ikechi Emenike and EFCC’s Brazen Impunity” detailed how the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice M.S. Liman, vacated an eviction order obtained by the EFCC through what the court described as misrepresentation, deceit, and suppression of facts.
The court found that Emenike, a respected economist, publisher, and politician, had been a lawful tenant of his Abuja residence at No. 6 Aso Drive since 2014, paying rent directly to EFCC’s appointed property manager after the building’s forfeiture. Despite this, EFCC had evicted him under dubious circumstances and later resisted the court’s directive to restore him to the property.
Justice Liman’s ruling of May 15, 2025, condemned EFCC’s actions as “fraudulent and deceitful,” ordering that Emenike and his family be reinstated in their home. However, more than a month after that judgment, reports indicate that EFCC has blocked enforcement of the court’s order.
DER Publications, which Chief Emenike leads, is one of Africa’s foremost business and economic publishing houses. The company produces several influential financial periodicals and has served as an official media partner for global and continental institutions such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), IMF/World Bank, African Union, and Commonwealth Summits.
As of press time, neither the DSS nor the EFCC has issued any official statement regarding the reported arrest. Concerned colleagues and civil society groups are calling for his immediate release and respect for judicial process, warning that the action could further erode public trust in Nigeria’s security and justice institutions.