Report: Ex-England striker who snubbed Super Eagles demands ₦200 million from Nigerian Police for wrongful arrest

Former Three Lions striker John Fashanu has sued the Nigerian Police Force for ₦200 million over an alleged unlawful arrest, Soccernet.ng reports.

The former Aston Villa man is currently on bail after being arrested in Abuja over a land dispute. He was accused of criminal conspiracy, threat to life, intimidation, trespass, and obtaining by false presence.

According to the Daily Mail, the problem started after foreign investors agreed to pay Fashanu more than £500,000 for a 22-acre site. However, he then heard that workmen had been sent to build a perimeter fence on the land. But when he and his lawyer visited the land to investigate, they were arrested after agreeing to go to a police station to sort out the issue.

According to the UK Metro, Fashanu appeared at a hearing of Abuja’s Federal High Court earlier this month, where the case was adjourned until April 10.

“The court granted the adjournment to give all the respondents enough time to file their counter affidavit,” Fashanu’s lawyer Chinyere Chigbu said, per the UK Metro.

The 62-year-old denies any wrongdoing and believes he was wrongfully arrested along with his wife, Vivian and his lawyer, Chinyere Chigbu. As such, he is seeking redress in court.

Ex-England international John Fashanu arrested in Nigeria pic.twitter.com/5DcTCW64fA

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) March 16, 2025

The former Aston Villa man lodged his case against 12 defendants, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police and the police service commission.

Fashanu claims that the issue has left him ‘traumatised’ and unable to pursue the Super Eagles coaching job, a position he claimed he was in contention for until his arrest. As such, he is demanding £100,000 (₦200 million).

Who is John Fashanu, and did he play for Nigeria?

John Fashanu was born in England to a Nigerian father and a British Guiana mother, and he grew up there. Eventually, he decided to play for England instead of Nigeria.

However, he only ended up with two appearances as he could not make the team consistently due to the availability of many quality strikers.

He spent his entire career in England playing for English clubs like Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Lincoln City, Milwaukee, Wimbledon, and Aston Villa before retiring in 1995. Since retiring from football, Fashanu has gone into the media.