It is important to clarify that Bar. Awoke and his co-travellers are victims of the state security agents' cruelty, specifically by the lawless State Security Service (SSS). These innocent Nigerians were apprehended in Lokoja, Kogi State, while returning to Ebonyi State after attending a court hearing on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s resumed trial on July 26, 2021. Their only "offence" according to the overzealous security agents, was their decision to travel from Ebonyi to witness this significant proceeding.
If the NBA leadership endorses the SSS' ludicrous defence related to logistical issues, then keen watchers will safely conclude that they are complicit in the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the SSS. Additionally, it is crucial to highlight that over thirty of Bar. Awoke's companions remain detained at the Wawa military detention facility, without any valid charges. This is the height of gross violation of human rights.
Furthermore, we must address the NBA President's stance on the logistical constraints in securing justice for these innocent Nigerians as they conspicuously alluded to.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, coram; Hon. Justice M.O. Olajuwon, had in a Ruling delivered pursuant to our application, discharged Emmanuel Chinonso Onyibe on July 13, 2023, after the SSS failed to bring forward the evidence in proof of the baseless and frivolous one count charge filed against him. Emmanuel Chinonso Onyibe was the second individual released alongside Bar. Awoke, almost a year after he was discharged by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Despite our numerous letters to the Director General of the State Security Service and the Attorney General of the Federation, requesting compliance with the court order, both the SSS and AGF ignored these appeals.
Attached for public reference is a certified copy of the relevant proceedings.
The narrative presented by the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association requires a thorough reassessment.
The Nigerian Bar Association has also not addressed the numerous petitions I have submitted concerning personal attacks by state agents and the illegal abduction of my wards from my home in Oraifite. These individuals remain in illegal detention at the same Wawa military detention facility, with no visible attention so far given by the NBA leadership.
While the NBA’s acclaimed intervention in the release of Bar. Awoke and Emmanuel Chinonso Onyibe is nonetheless acknowledged as a good step in the right direction, it is evident that significant human rights violations against the citizens by the Nigerian security agencies still persist.
The plight of those still detained without charges, the unaddressed petitions regarding personal attacks, and the ongoing illegal detentions, demand urgent and more robust action from the NBA. It is imperative that the NBA intensifies its efforts to safeguard the rights of citizens and holds state security agencies accountable for their actions and/or inactions. The fight for justice and human dignity must remain paramount, and the NBA's leadership must rise to this challenge with unwavering commitment, in defence of its motto which is "Promoting the Rule of Law".
Thank you.
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq. (KSC)
June 24, 2024
