An Aba-based legal practitioner, Mr Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna, was arrested sometime in March this year for criticising the governor of Abia State, Dr Okpeze Ikpeazu, in a Facebook post.
Instead of advising the governor to sue the lawyer for libel in the state High Court, the police engaged in gross abuse of power by charging Ogbonna with the offence of terrorism under the Terrorism Prevention Act as amended before the Federal High Court sitting at Umuahia, Abia State. Mr Ogbonna pleaded not guilty to the charge and was admitted to bail.
He met the bail conditions and was released by the trial court. But angered by the order of the court that had admitted Mr Ogbonna to bail some officials of the state government invaded the court premises, seized the defendant and took him away to an undisclosed place. It was discovered days later that he had been dumped in the detention facility of the State Security Service in Umuahia. In order to secure the release of Mr. Ogbonna from illegal custody his lawyers approached the Federal High Court to secure the enforcement of his fundamental right to personal liberty guaranteed by section 35 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and article 6 of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights Act.
While the governor deserves kudos for his timely intervention we advise the principalities who feel offended by Nunieh's disclosures to sue for libel in a civil court. Apart from awaiting the report of the investigation committee, President Buhari should dissolve the illegally constituted Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, which has since become a cesspool of grand corruption.
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