…Leave Ikpeazu Out Of His Travails
By Christian Appolos
An Associate Professor of Law and Life Member of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), Dr A.C.B Agbazuere, has enjoined the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to investigate why one Barr Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna, an Aba base lawyer is detained by the Department of State Security (DSS), instead of relying on what he described as “copiously false, erroneous and misleading information”.
Agbazuere, who is also a member of the NBA and Chief of State to the Governor of Abia State, who stated this in his response to a letter by the national headquarters of the NBA, went on to insist that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and the Abia State Government has no hand in the travails of Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna with the DSS.
He also said that Ogbonna is been held by the DSS for making divisive and subversive comments on his Facebook page against President Buhari and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“My attention has been drawn to a press statement issued by Kunle Edun, the National Publicity Secretary of Nigerian Bar Association on behalf of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) with regard to one Barrister Emperor Ogbonna.
“I have asked questions and I understand that the said Emperor Ogbonna was now arrested because he had made other divisive and subversive comments on his Facebook page against President Buhari and the Federal Republic of Nigeria referring to Nigeria as an Islamic Republic, calling for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari, calling for the removal of Northern Nigeria from Nigeria, describing Northern Nigeria as an illiterate population and the biggest problem of Nigeria and inciting comments that Buhari hates the Igbos.”
“The facts put forward by NBA Aba branch which NBA National relied on are copiously false, erroneous and misleading.
“ The Governor reported this case of cybercrime to the Police and the Police arrested Mr. Ogbonna and charged him before the Federal High Court in Umuahia for cybercrime and not terrorism as the misinformation from NBA Aba opines.
“On 28th April, 2020, the Federal High Court in Umuahia granted Mr. Ogbonna bail and adjourned the matter to 25th May, 2020 for hearing. This is the much involving the Governor and we are ready to prosecute the case. No government official even attended Court on the said 28th April, 2020, what more entering the Court premises for any arrest.”
The Chief of Staff also accused NBA Chapter in Aba of misleading its national headquarters saying that: “The NBA headquarters and the public can now see that NBA Aba carried their emotions too far and thus misinformed NBA headquarters, hence the unwarranted and manifestly embarrassing press statement.
“I know that the Nigerian Bar Association leadership will never support crime but I am nonetheless appalled that my NBA could hurriedly issue a press statement on an issue without hearing from the other side, not even a phone call to any official of the Abia State government. This is bad.
“No one is above the law and Mr. Ogbonna as a lawyer should have known the consequences of his actions and that Nigeria has a Cyber Crime Act.”
