The Director of Legal Aid and Welfare at the Tunji Braithwaite Foundation (TBF), Christian Wogu, has urged the police and other law enforcement agencies not to allow themselves to be used to oppress or intimidate Nigerians.
Wogu made the call during an interview with ARISE NEWS monitored by The News Chronicle on Thursday, while discussing concerns over Nigeria’s criminal justice system and the prolonged detention of suspects.
He said the foundation became concerned about the case involving Chappell Energy founder and former reserve, Joseph Imano, after observing what he described as conflicting court orders and questions surrounding his continued incarceration.
“When we began to see clashes of court orders, when we saw that two courts of competent jurisdiction, one in Abuja and another one in Lagos, had adjourned this matter to be civil, and actually even awarded N5 million damages against one of the government agencies, we decided to actually look at it more,” he said.
Wogu said the foundation had also sought a court order for Imano to receive medical treatment, stressing that its intervention was guided by human rights and the rule of law.
He said the case was not only about Imano but could have implications for other Nigerians facing similar circumstances.
Wogu criticised prolonged detention, saying Nigeria’s criminal justice system was wasting people, talent and resources.
He called for judges and magistrates to identify cases that could be resolved early and suggested that courts should hold sessions in correctional centres to reduce delays.
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“There’s a need for the police, particularly all the other enforcement agencies, not to allow themselves to be used as agencies of oppression, of intimidation, and of lowering the sanctity and inviolability of the human person,” he said.
Wogu also said the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 had not achieved its intended improvements, arguing that better implementation and institutional orientation were needed.
