After being imprisoned in Nigeria, former England player John Fashanu is currently free on bail and is suing the police for £100,000 in damages. According to reports, the 62-year-old was detained on suspicion of five distinct offences in Nigeria: trespassing, intimidation, criminal conspiracy, threat to life, and obtaining by false pretence.
In what the defendant claims is a civil dispute over land, Fashanu’s wife Vivian and attorney Chinyere Chigbu were also taken into custody. The three are currently suing the police to recover damages for the alleged four-day period of treatment they received.
Fashanu Arrested Over Land Dispute
The former striker now resides in Nigeria where the incident took place
Fashanu, the former host of the well-known British television program Gladiators, reportedly accepted a £500,000 offer from investors for a 22-acre plot of land, according to a Mirror article. Fashanu and his lawyer began an investigation after finding out that investors had sent workmen to build a border fence on the land.
Fashanu claims that after consenting to accompany officers to the station for clarification, they found the workers were under police protection and that both he and his lawyer were taken into custody. In addition to “subsequent intermittent constraints of his personal liberty” until December 19, Fashanu claimed that the police had “arrested, detained, and inhumanely treated” him for around three hours on December 16.
He also claimed that his wife, Vivian, was wrongly arrested when she accompanied him to the station and that authorities had violated his rights when they took away his cell phone, calling it a “gross unconstitutional violation.”
Fashanu says his arrest cost him a job in Nigeria.
According to the former striker, he was considered for the position.
John Fashanu in action for Wimbledon #Wimbledon #Dons pic.twitter.com/edo2edYlU8
— Football Memories (@footballmemorys) February 20, 2025
The 62-year-old Fashanu claims that he was in the running to be the head coach of the Nigerian national team before to becoming involved in the scandal, indicating that the incident has not only had an adverse effect on him personally but also on his career.
Fashanu was present at a hearing earlier this month at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the judge made the decision to delay the case until April 10. Fashanu filed the court filings using the title “Ambassador Fashanu,” which the Nigerian government bestowed upon him in appreciation of his position as an ambassador for sports and travel. The Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Police Service Commission, the police commissioner, deputy commissioner, chief superintendent, and deputy superintendent of Abuja are among the 12 defendants he has filed claims against in his lawsuit.
Most famously, Fashanu played with Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang,’ for which he was a member for eight years. He also played for Millwall and Aston Villa, and former Arsenal captain Tony Adams famously called him one of the hardest players he had ever faced.
In a 0-0 draw with Chile in 1989, he earned his England debut. In a 2-0 victory over Scotland, he made his lone other appearance as a substitute. Justin, his brother, tragically committed suicide at the age of 37. Justin was the first out gay football player in the United Kingdom.
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