Attorneys are furious that Owerri Chief Magistrate Obinna Njemanze ordered their colleague Chinedu Agu to be remanded to the Owerri Correctional Center on Thursday due to opinion pieces that criticized the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Agu, a strong opponent of the Imo State government, was charged with four offenses, including incitement, criminal defamation, and cyberstalking.
In violation of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, prosecutors claimed that his social media posts accusing security agencies of abuses and characterizing Imo as “tyranny trapped in sinking bureaucracy” were false, defamatory, and likely to incite unrest.
He entered a not guilty plea. Insisting that criticism of government policies is protected under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, the Nigerian Bar Association, or NBA, denounced the charges as an attempt to stifle dissent.
The association promised to support Agu and keep an eye on the proceedings in a statement signed by its president, Afam Osigwe, SAN.
Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, also denounced the accusations.
Odinkalu praised the attorneys from the NBA Owerri branch who supported Agu by appearing in court and at the correctional facility.
While we’re still working on the case of @ChineduAgu87, Odinkalu posted on his X handle: “Under the direction of Stanley Imo, SAN & M.O. Nlemadim, I would like to thank the attorneys of the Owerri Branch of @NigBarAssoc who appeared at the Magistrates Court, @FederalHigh & at the Owerri @CorrectionsNg throughout the day.
The majority of them are just starting to return home at this late hour after abandoning everything today to defend their rights. They will return tomorrow, hopefully bringing some justice to the wrongs committed today by that corrupt order of a misbehaving magistrate on an open errand.
Senior attorneys who attended the hearing included Damian Nosike, chairman of the Eastern Bar Forum, and Chris Ihentuge, chairman of the NBA Owerri branch.
However, Agu’s legal team’s bail request was turned down by Magistrate Njemanze, who said he lacked the authority to consider the case.
He mandated that Agu remain in custody until the Director of Public Prosecutions, or DPP, could provide guidance.
The matter has been postponed until October 29, 2025.
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