LAGOS, Nigeria – Leaders of the Igbo community in Lagos State are expressing frustration and dismay over the refusal of the Lagos State High Court to grant bail to Eze Ndigbo Ajao, Eze Federick Nkemdilim Nwajagu, who has been in prison custody since March 2023 on terrorism-related charges.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya’s decision has stirred significant reactions within the Igbo community.
Chief Sunday Ossai, President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, questioned the court’s continued denial of bail, stating, “He is supposed to be granted bail by now, but we do not know why. We have made several appeals, yet they still hold him.” Ossai called for the court to act promptly in granting bail.
The Coordinator of Nzuko Ndigbo, Mr. John Ukwuenyi Johnson, echoed the sentiment, expressing his disappointment over the extended detention of the Eze Ndigbo, and said, “We all expected that he will be granted bail today but was disappointed. However, we believe that he will be granted bail.”
Counsel to Nwajagu, Chino Obiagwu, SAN, who had submitted a bail application citing the defendant’s poor health, argued that the court can grant such bail.
In an impassioned address, he told the court, “My Lord, the accused is well over 70 years of age, a widower with six children. I don’t think he has any reason to run away leaving his six innocent children, and for who? My Lord, the accused person does not even have an international passport and seriously wonder how and why he would run away.’’
The counsel, emphasizing Nwajagu’s health records and law-abiding nature, further urged the court to admit the defendant to bail, stressing that the defendant had already been granted bail by a lower court but failed to meet the bail conditions.
However, the state’s counsel and Deputy Director in the Ministry of Justice, Jonathan Ogunsanya, countered the plea.
In a detailed 23-point counter affidavit, Ogunsanya cited a Police report and argued that Nwajagu might evade the trial, noting that the defendant had fled his residence in Ejigbo, Lagos, before his arrest.
The Department of State Services detained Nwajagu, DSS, for allegedly threatening to invite members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to Lagos State to protect the lives and properties of Ndigbo in the state, an act considered terrorism by the authorities.
The charges against the Ezendigbo are grave and include an attempt to commit acts of terrorism, participation in terrorism, meeting to support a proscribed entity, and preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
According to a suit marked no: LD/21505C/2023, these offenses contravene the provision of section 403(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and various areas of the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.
While the defendant has pleaded not guilty to all counts, the matter continues to ignite tensions within the community. It raises questions about the balance between security concerns and the rights of the accused.
The next hearings are scheduled for October 3rd and 4th, 2023.
Many will focus firmly on the proceedings, and the case is poised to remain at the center of public debate in Lagos and the wider region.
