A fresh crisis has erupted within the Scout Association of Nigeria, with serious allegations of unlawful detention, disregard for court orders, and misuse of police authority drawing national concern.
In a petition addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, members of the association accused a factional leader, Zack Ekanola, of attempting to forcefully take control of the organisation while ignoring established legal and constitutional processes.
The petition, signed by the association’s International Commissioner, Dr. Philip Soneye, described the situation as urgent and warned that the leadership dispute could destabilise one of Nigeria’s leading youth organisations.
According to the petitioners, the crisis began in 2024 after Ekanola was suspended by the Oyo State Scout Council. Despite the suspension, he allegedly teamed up with other aggrieved members to create a parallel leadership structure.
Tensions escalated when a Federal High Court reportedly ordered the association not to hold its Annual General Meeting in Benin. While most state councils complied with the directive, Ekanola’s faction allegedly went ahead with the meeting and declared him Chief Commissioner.
The petition further claimed that he threatened to take over the offices of state councils that obeyed the court order.
Attempts to resolve the crisis through mediation reportedly failed, as the Federal Ministry of Youth Development invited both sides for dialogue on three occasions, but Ekanola and his group were said to have ignored the invitations.
The situation worsened following a confrontation over the association’s national headquarters in Makoko, Lagos, where Ekanola was accused of leading a forceful takeover amid disputes involving trustees and a property developer.
Although he was arrested at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Yaba, he was later granted bail.
However, attention has now shifted to allegations of abuse of police procedures. Two Scout leaders, Samson Idowu and Raji Bomodeoku, were reportedly arrested after responding to police invitations at SCID Panti and detained for four days without a warrant or formal charges.
They were later transferred to the Force Intelligence Department in Abuja, where they are said to still be in custody despite cooperating with investigators.
The petitioners raised concerns over unlawful detention, disobedience to court orders, and possible misuse of law enforcement, calling on the police authorities to intervene.
They urged the Inspector-General to review the detention of the affected individuals, ensure their release where appropriate, and order an impartial investigation into the matter.
The group also called for strict adherence to the rule of law and warned against allowing internal disputes within organisations to be handled in ways that undermine justice and due process.
