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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Some residents of Enugu, yesterday, stormed the International Conference Centre, venue of the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference, to protest the continued incarceration of Bright Ngene, lawyer and winner of the Enugu South Urban 1 House of Assembly seat.
Ngene was on July 28, 2024, sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by an Enugu South Magistrate’s Court presided over by E.D.Onwu over an alleged community development fund scandal.
At the NBA conference venue, the protesters, who described themselves as Ngene’s constituents and friends, chanted freedom songs and displayed placards with inscriptions, such as “NBA, Please Save Our Democracy,” “Enugu State Judiciary Must Be Independent from Executive,” “Oppression is Injustice, Free Bright Ngene,” and “Injustice to One Lawyer is Injustice to All Lawyers.” Spokesperson of the group, Benedict Kachukwu, described Ngene’s imprisonment as unjust. He alleged that judicial processes were not followed in his conviction and expressed frustration that efforts to get the case before the High Court were stalled. “As you can see, we are here, these are friends of Bright Ngene, who was unjustly incarcerated. Since July 28, 2024, when he was convicted in less than two weeks of trial, he has remained in detention.
“Efforts to get the matter to the High Court have proved abortive because somehow judges are now recusing themselves from the case.
“The Chief Judge has refused to assign the case to a new judge. So, ever since then till now, this man has been in detention for no just cause, all because he won an election,” he said.
He noted that despite being in detention, Ngene reaffirmed his electoral mandate, winning overwhelmingly again in the August 16, 2025, rerun election.
The protesters urged the NBA to intervene, stressing that they were not opposed to judicial processes but only wanted the matter properly heard.
“We are not here to fight, we are not here to quarrel. We are here to beg. Please, let this man be freed so that he can go and represent the people that voted him into the House of Assembly.”
Kachukwu further revealed that letters had been written to several NBA organs without response, even though senior lawyers, such as Femi Falana and Monday Ubani were aware of the matter.
