Protest hits Enugu over detention of LP lawmaker-elect

Some residents of Enugu on Monday stormed the International Conference Centre, venue of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference, to protest the continued incarceration of a lawmaker-elect, Barr Bright Ngene.

The Labour Party lawmaker-elect is the winner of Enugu South Urban 1 House of Assembly seat.

An Enugu South Magistrate’s Court, presided over by E. D. Onwu, on July 28, 2024 sentenced Ngene to seven years’ imprisonment over alleged community development fund scandal.

But at the NBA conference venue, the protesters, who described themselves as constituents and friends of Ngene chanted freedom songs and displayed placards with inscriptions: “NBA Please Save Our Democracy”, “Enugu State Judiciary Must be Independent from Executive”, “Oppression is injustice, free Barr Bright Ngene”, “NBA, It’s Bright Ngene today. It could be any Lawyer Tomorrow”, “Injustice to one Lawyer is injustice to all Lawyers”,among others.

The protesters said they decided to embark on the peaceful protest as a last resort to call the attention of the NBA members to the plight of their colleague, Barr Ngene, who they alleged was wrongly convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment by an Enugu State Magistrate’s Court.

Addressing journalists, spokesperson of the protesters, Mr. Benedict Kachukwu said, “As you can see, we are here, these are friends of Barr Bright Ngene, who was unjustly incarcerated.

“We are here to register our peaceful protest to tell the world what has been happening in Enugu state for the past one year and since the 28th of July 2024, Hon Bright Emeka Ngene that won the House of Assembly seat Enugu South Urban has been unjustly incarcerated.

“Charges that were put on him were baseless, judicial process was not followed and in less than two weeks judgement was dispensed. And the man has been in detention since then till now.

“Efforts to get the matter to the High Court has 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, Hon Bright Ngene has been in detention for no just cause. All because he won an election, an election he won on a free ground where the people of Enugu South Urban 1 have given him their mandate freely.

“Somehow he has reaffirmed the decision of the mandate of the people on the 16th of August 2025 where he won overwhelmingly again even from detention.”

Kachukwu said they were at the NBA conference venue to plead with the NBA to look into the matter so that judicial process will be followed.

He made it clear that they were not afraid of going through the judicial process, noting that they had consistently asked the Chief Judge to assign the case no matter what could be the outcome of the judgement.

“But up till now we have not seen, we have not heard and the case has been in comatose at the State High Court.

“Several judges have recused themselves. I can recall on 11th of March 2025 one of the judges called for the judgement from the Magistrate Court, but on the day of the sitting, he now said that he was recusing himself from the case.

“And ever since then till now, the case has not been assigned to any judge. That means the man has been languishing in jail for nothing.

“We have written to every organ of NBA as we speak, but there has not been any kind of response from them. As I speak to you Barr Ubani Monday is aware of this case and he is here; Femi Falana, he just drove in, he is aware of this case, he is here. Top SANs are aware of this case and they are here.

“So we have done all we could do, we decided to resort to coming here to beg. 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 in the House of Assembly,” he said.

Many observers believe that Barr Ngene’s ordeal is political and in connection with the House of Assembly seat.