A coalition of Southeast Civil Society Organisations, have expressed grave concern over what it described as the disturbing handling of the bail application of an Imo State-based legal practioner, Mr. Chinedu Agu, at the Federal High Court, Owerri, Imo State.
Agu, a former secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri branch, Chinedu Agu, is accused of defaming Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, and is still being held at Owerri correctional facility, despite a bail granted him by a Federal High Court.
According to Agu’s lawyer, Stanley Imo, the Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, had granted bail to Mr Agu, a lawyer, on 25 September, and all the bail conditions were perfected, but they could not secure Mr Agụ’s release from the correctional facility.
Mr Imo said the bail granted to the lawyer by the Federal High Court was directed to the police in Imo and not to the correctional centre, and that the Federal High Court ordered the police to release Mr Agu, unaware that a Magistrate Court in Owerri also ordered the lawyer’s remand in prison.
In a statement signed by over 10 CSOs, the coalition said emerging facts from the proceedings raise serious questions about the impartiality, independence, and integrity of the presiding judge.
It expressed worry that despite the absence of any counter-affidavit or opposition to the bail application, the court has repeatedly adjourned ruling on a clearly bailable matter, instead requesting written addresses on an inexplicable question, whether the bail application is competent given that there is no pending charge.
“This reasoning not only defies legal logic but suggests a troubling reluctance to uphold justice in a case involving the liberty of a citizen who has been detained since September 23, 2025, without charge.
“Such judicial conduct, at best, reflects gross indifference to the constitutional duty of the courts to protect the rights of citizens. At worst, it creates the perception of complicity with executive overreach and repression in Imo State. This undermines public confidence in the judiciary and further deepens concerns about state capture of democratic institutions in the state,” the coalition noted.
The CSOs called on the presiding judge to act with courage, impartiality, and fidelity to the Constitution by promptly delivering a fair ruling on the bail application without further delay.
They also urged the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and the President of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take note of the troubling development and ensure that judicial officers in Imo State are not used as instruments of political persecution.
“We warn that if this pattern of delay, manipulation, and apparent bias persists, we shall be compelled to jointly petition the National Judicial Council for disciplinary action and a full investigation into the conduct of the judge concerned.
“The judiciary remains the last hope of the common man. When it becomes complicit in the suppression of liberty, democracy itself is imperiled.
“We call on all stakeholders, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission, and the media, to join in defending the integrity of our justice system in Imo State and across Nigeria.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice compromised is democracy betrayed,” the group said.
Among the CSOs that signed the statement were the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), the International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative (ISPHRI), the Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), the Atrocities Watch Africa, and the Vision Spring Initiatives.
Others include the Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development FENRAD Nigeria, Nchekwa Ndi Ogbenye Foundation, the Prison Advocacy & Justice Initiative (PAJI), and the Open Bar Initiative (OBI).
