The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described the imprisonment of popular human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, as unconstitutional.
Naija News reported that the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaette Obot, last week Wednesday, sentenced Effiong to prison over alleged contempt of court.
In a series of tweets via his Twitter handle on Tuesday, NBA President, Olumide Akpata, said the Judge did not follow due process in the committal proceedings.
The NBA president disclosed that attempts to secure Effiong’s release through sustained engagements at different levels have been unsuccessful.
Akpata stated that the Chief Judge said she was unwilling to further entertain the matter regarding the release of the popular lawyer.
He said the association is left with no choice but to work on an appeal against the decision of the Chief Judge and has instructed the NBA team to work with Effiong on an immediate appeal.
Akpata asserted that there is a high chance that Effiong would serve out his one-month custodial term before the end of the appeal.
He wrote: “Last week, I provided an update on the efforts being made by the @NigBarAssoc towards securing the release of our colleague, Mr. Inibehe Effiong, who was remanded in custody on the order of the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State on account of alleged contemptuous conduct in court.
“Unfortunately, attempts to secure Mr. Effiong’s release through sustained engagements at different levels have been unsuccessful with the Chief Judge indicating that she was unwilling or unable to further entertain the matter.
“In the circumstance, the NBA is left with no choice but to work on an appeal against the decision of Her Lordship, and I have instructed the NBA team to work with Mr. Effiong on an immediate appeal.
“This is not the outcome that we had expected because there is a high chance that Mr. Effiong would serve out his one-month custodial term before the end of the appeal.
“Regardless of the conduct of Mr. Effiong in the courtroom on the date of the proceedings that led to his committal, one thing that has come out from the various accounts that the NBA has so far received is that the Court did not follow due process in the committal proceedings.
“Mr. Effiong was not put in the dock, told what his wrong or contempt was, given fair hearing or even an opportunity to recant or purge himself (a courtesy that the Bench should, at the minimum, extend to counsel where counsel’s conduct is said to be contemptuous).
“This on its face not only runs afoul of known practice and procedure in such cases but is also unconstitutional. In view of the foregoing and depending on the outcome of our ongoing investigations, the NBA.”
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