…Says “Nigeria now rewards courage with persecution”
Prominent legal luminary, Jibrin Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has condemned what he described as the “growing tragedy of Nigeria’s justice system,” following the detention of human rights lawyer and judicial activist, Chinedu Agu, in Imo State.
Okutepa, in a strongly worded statement, said Agu’s ordeal reflects a disturbing trend in which citizens who stand up for constitutionalism and the rule of law are punished by the very institutions they seek to strengthen.
“The tragedy of Nigeria is that those who are honest and passionate about fighting a just system that is designed to prevent abuse of power always end up being oppressed by that same system,” Okutepa stated.
According to him, Agu was at the forefront of campaigns to ensure respect for constitutional provisions guiding the appointment of the Chief Judge of Imo State. He had approached the courts to challenge what he described as “constitutional aberrations” in the process and had publicly supported the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC) on the matter.
However, Okutepa revealed that the activist lawyer is now being held in custody on the orders of a Chief Magistrate in Imo State — the same judicial system he defended.
“Today, Chinedu Agu Esq is in custody on the orders of the very institution he was fighting for,” he lamented. “His lawyers ran to the Federal High Court to enforce his fundamental rights, but the proceedings that should be heard speedily have become clogged in the nightmares of Nigeria’s chameleon justice system.”
The senior advocate accused elements within the justice sector of aligning with political forces to silence critical voices and subvert constitutional rights.
“The Nigerian justice system must wake up to liberate itself from unholy alliances with those who have destroyed the very foundation of justice,” he said. “We have chosen to accept abnormalities as normal.”
Okutepa further criticized the country’s political culture, which, according to him, glorifies authoritarianism rather than rewarding good governance and respect for the rule of law.
“Political achievements in Nigeria are not measured by the quality of lives touched positively but by the brutality and despotic treatment of citizens who demand accountability,” he asserted.
He warned that Agu’s continued detention represents a dangerous signal to activists and reformers across the country.
“If the very system that Chinedu was fighting for can team up with its oppressors to lock him up — and Nigerians are just watching helplessly — then all hopes for a just and egalitarian system are almost gone,” he said.
Okutepa concluded by calling for Agu’s immediate release and urging the judiciary to rise above political manipulation.
“Let Chinedu Agu Esq be released. Nothing bad must happen to him in the custody where he is unjustly kept by the very institution that should stand by him,” he declared.
The detention of Chinedu Agu has already sparked quiet outrage among civil society actors, legal practitioners, and pro-democracy groups, many of whom see the case as a test of Nigeria’s commitment to judicial independence and constitutional rights.
