Effiong was sentenced to one-month imprisonment on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, over alleged court contempt in a case of libel brought against his client by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.
By Saidu Idris
365Daily – A democracy and human rights advocate, Richard Akinnola, has decried the controversial imprisonment of human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, on the orders of the Akwa Ibom State Chief Judge, as a charade and judicial rascality.
Effiong was sentenced to one-month imprisonment on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, over alleged court contempt in a case of libel brought against his client by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.
Referencing a similar case that he covered as a journalist in 1990 involving the late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Akinnola, who is also a lawyer, said like Chief Fawehinmi, Inibehe will come out victorious.
Akinnola: “My report of January 5, 1990, when justice Ligali Ayorinde, then Acting Chief Judge of Lagos state, sentenced Gani Fawehinmi to jail for 12 months for contempt. Gani’s offence? He asked, like Inibehe Effion did today before Justice Ekaette Obot, the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom state, that Justice Ayorinde should recuse himself from the defamation case against him by Col. Haliru Akilu and Lt-Col. A.K. Togun and transfer the case to another judge. The same prayer Inibehe made today which the Chief Judge did not consider before things went awry.
“Gani’s imprisonment was overturned by the Court of Appeal. Today’s charade would similarly, definitely not stand. Enough of abuse of judicial powers. Today, Justice Ayorinde is no more but his judicial infamy would not be obliterated.
“It was this same Justice Ayorinde who described military rulers as “Kabiyesi”(a king) whose orders must be complied with. Those of us who are legal historians would also document this. This too shall pass.”
Giving more details, Akinnola said further: There was an instance, some 30 something years ago. It was during the military era. Gani Fawehinmi was in court. Then, out of the blues, he raised a strange observation. He told the Chief judge that the matter could not proceed.
He said:”(Pointing at an object of interest behind the judge) My Lord, kindly look back. Look at that picture of the military Governor, staring menacingly at my Lord like a gun pointed at you. My Lord, my case is against the military government and the presence of the picture of the military governor behind you unsettles me.”
The court rose momentarily. The matter was then adjourned to another date.
“At the next adjourned date, all portrait of Col. Raji Rasaki, the military governor, had been removed from all the courtrooms, replaced with that of Coat of arms.
“That was under the military. Today, Inibehe Effiong only made a request that the armed policemen in the courtroom be made to stand outside the court, even after the Chief judge had refused to hear the application that she recused herself from the matter. Then, sending counsel to prison. You can see the difference of how a judge behaved under a military government and under a democracy. We still have a long way to go. This shall not stand.”
Effiong had said in a post before he was taken into the prison: “I was at the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday to defend Sowore and the AAC. I flew into Uyo last night to defend Leo Ekpenyong in a libel suit filed by Governor Udom Emmanuel and Senator Effiong Bob against him over alleged libel.
“I have helped many people out of unlawful detention. Going to prison myself will fortify me to fight harder for Nigerians who cannot fight for themselves.”