Let Plateau High Court Handle Land Dispute Between President, Court Of Appeal And Former NBA Chairman, Odinkalu Urges DSS
By Special Correspondent
Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to refrain from interfering in a land dispute pending before the High Court of Plateau State, alleging that the agency is being used to advance private interests.
Odinkalu made the allegation while reacting to the prosecution of former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Nkup Gabriel Tsenyen, who was recently charged under the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.
According to him, the charges filed against Tsenyen represent “an egregious abuse of power” allegedly orchestrated by members of the family of the President of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Monica Dongban-Mensem.
Odinkalu alleged that Tsenyen and Justice Dongban-Mensem hail from the same Ngotugu’ut community in Plateau State. He further claimed that in 2025, Tsenyen instituted a land suit before the Plateau State High Court sitting in Shendam against four defendants, one of whom, Miskoom Niemu’ut Mensem, is the biological brother of the President of the Court of Appeal.
He contended that the cybercrime charges instituted by the DSS in Abuja are directly connected to the pending land dispute and have no bearing on the agency’s statutory responsibility of safeguarding Nigeria’s internal security.
Describing the development as a “weaponisation” of the DSS for private purposes, Odinkalu urged the Director-General of the service to intervene and discontinue what he characterised as an abuse of power.
He maintained that the land dispute should be allowed to proceed through the judicial process without external interference, insisting that the Plateau State High Court should be given the opportunity to determine the matter on its merits.
The allegations contained in this report are those made by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu. The DSS, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem and other individuals mentioned had not publicly responded to the claims at the time of filing this report.
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
