Human Rights Lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, Jailed

By Adesina Soyooye

When Inibehe Effiong, a Lagos-based Human Rights Lawyer, flew into Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Wednesday morning, his mission was to defend a client in Court and fly back to Lagos.

But that did not happen.

Instead, Inibehe has been thrown into jail by the Chief Judge of the State, the Honourable Justice Ekaette Obot. He will spend one month at the Uyo Correctional Centre.

The Lawyer went to defend Leo Ekpenyong in a libel suit filed against him by the State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

As the case began, the CJ, allegedly, asked a Premium Times Reporter in the Court to leave.

Trouble started for the Lawyer when he interjected and told the CJ that since the case is public it was good for the public to observe it.

Inibehe in a message on Whatsaap to make public his plight narrated:

“The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom ordered a Premium Times Reporter out of the Court. I said my lord, we were thinking that since the procedure is public, the members of the public should be allowed to observe the proceedings.

My Lord asked me to proceed with cross examination.”

Inibehe did not, however, say if he continued with the cross examination or argued with the Chief Judge.

But he informed: “I will be going to the Uyo Correctional Centre now. I have not done anything. I wasn’t even given the opportunity to say anything before this “conviction’. Two lawyers in Court appealed to the Honourable Chief Judge, but my lord insisted I must be jailed.”

It is not known yet what the reaction of the Nigerian Bar Association. NBA,  both in the State and  the National level will be.