A coalition of Southeast Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has expressed strong concern over what it described as the “disturbing handling” of the bail application of Mr Chinedu Agu at the Federal High Court, Owerri, calling for judicial integrity and urgent dispensation of justice.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, the groups accused the presiding judge of undue delay and questioned the court’s impartiality in the matter. They noted that despite the absence of any opposition or counter-affidavit to the bail application, the court has repeatedly adjourned ruling on the case.
According to the CSOs, the judge instead requested written addresses on the “competence” of the bail application because there was no pending charge—a reasoning they described as “legally illogical” and contrary to the constitutional duty of the courts to protect citizens’ rights.
The coalition said Mr Agu has been in detention since September 23, 2025, without any formal charge, a development they termed a violation of his fundamental rights.
“Such judicial conduct reflects gross indifference to the constitutional duty of the courts to protect the rights of citizens. At worst, it suggests complicity with executive overreach and repression in Imo State,” the statement read in part.
The organisations warned that the situation risks eroding public confidence in the judiciary and reinforcing perceptions of “state capture of democratic institutions” in the state.
They called on the presiding judge to “act with courage, impartiality, and fidelity to the Constitution” by delivering a fair ruling without further delay.
The CSOs also urged the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and the President of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the case and ensure that judicial officers in Imo State are not used as tools for political persecution.
“If this pattern of delay, manipulation, and apparent bias persists, we shall be compelled to petition the National Judicial Council for disciplinary action and a full investigation into the conduct of the judge concerned,” the statement added.
The coalition further appealed to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the media to help safeguard judicial integrity and ensure that justice is not compromised.
“The judiciary remains the last hope of the common man. When it becomes complicit in the suppression of liberty, democracy itself is imperilled. Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice compromised is democracy betrayed,” the CSOs said.
The statement was jointly signed by the following organisations:
Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC)
Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN)
International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative (ISPHRI)
Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS)
Prison Advocacy & Justice Initiative (PAJI), Owerri
Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria)
Open Bar Initiative (OBI)
Atrocities Watch Africa
Nchekwa Ndi Ogbenye Foundation
Vision Spring Initiatives
People’s Rights Organisation (PRO)
