Barrister Inibehe Effiong, a human rights attorney based in Lagos, has filed a lawsuit against Justice Ekaette Obot, the chief justice of Akwa Ibom State, to enforce his fundamental rights to liberty and a fair trial.
The lawyer has spent the last 21 days at the correctional facility after the Chief Judge ordered that he be detained for alleged contempt.
The legal team led by Femi Falan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed that case at the Federal High Court, Uyo, the state capital with the suit number, FHC/UY/FGR/120/2022It reads, “sequel to the continuous refusal by the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State to release copies of the proceedings together with the order convicting the human rights activist, Barr. Effiong made since 27th of July, 2022 in compliance with section 36(7) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended despite repeated application to that effect, we were forced to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit yesterday at the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/UY/FHR/170/2022 against this flagrant impunity in the system in order for my Lord to be compelled to comply with the extant laws of our land.
“It’s beyond imagination to see that the wilful refusal to release copies of the said proceedings has precariously affected and frustrated all material efforts made by Inibehe’s legal team to appeal against his conviction including his release from the prison custody.
Today marks exactly 20 days since His Lordship issued this remand order, but all attempts to access the proceedings have been unsuccessful.
“ By provision of section 36 (7) of the constitution cited above, the court is under duty to produce its order, judgement or proceedings within 7days of making same.”
Recall that Barr. Effiong was sentenced to a month in jail by the Chief Judge for acting impolitely when he appeared in court for a defamation case involving the governor Udom Emmanuel and a lawyer named Leo Ekpenyong.
Barrister Ekpenyong had been sued by Governor Emmanuel for alleged defamation.
Ekpenyong had accused the governor of bribing Justice W. O. Akanbi, the state’s chairman of the 2019 Election Petition Tribunal, in order to sway the decision in favor of Obong Chris Ekpenyong, the PDP senatorial candidate at the time.
The governor, according to the lawyer, allegedly bribed the tribunal chairman a princely sum of $1.4 million to ensure Senator Chris Ekpenyong won the case against his fiercest rival, Senator Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress.
Barrister Effiong said in a “Facebook Live” video that he had previously asked the Chief judge to recuse herself from the case in order to prevent potential prejudice.
