Leftist Osazee Edigin AICMC
For several years, law enforcement agents, particularly the Nigeria Police were using the Holding Charge to keep suspects in prison custody by doing the bidding of the highest bidder.
However, that era was put to a stop after the introduction of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) in Edo state and the setting up of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) headed by the Chief Judge of the state to oversee the full implementation of the law.
The new tactic being adopted by law enforcement agents (particularly the police) is the use of trump-up charges which usually include non-bailable offences in charging suspects to high courts to get a remand.
As a rights activist, I witnessed such operation of Edo state police command wherein a suspect (name withheld) was accused of cyberstalking. The police invited him and he honoured the invitation, after interrogation, he was granted bail which I stood as a surety for him since April, 2023. Ever since, there was no call for him to appear.
Two days ago, I was called to produce him to be arraigned in a court, I did produce him but this time around, with his counsel in the person of U.L. Osa-Uwagie Esq. He was granted another administrative bail to appear today in court.
Upon getting to the court, his lawyer and I discovered that, the police had added armed robbery to the charge. They said he was holding two pump action guns, knife, bottle and other dangerous weapons and that he also stole someone’s phone. Ha! Nigeria Police can lie ooo.
The idea was to add the trump up charge to keep him in prison for as long as his lawyer is able to argue his innocence to gain freedom. This is one of the reasons our prisons are congested with inmates who ordinarily shouldn’t be there. It’s a case of injustice for sale.
The Edo state judiciary had gone through a lot of reforms as the court in its wisdom caused a quick probe into the armed robbery trump-up charge. As usual a lie can never have a strong foundation, it was shaken and his Lordship graciously granted bail to the suspect.
This is a new struggle the civil society, NBA and all other well-meaning Nigerians must take up. Oppression and the sale of justice cannot stand in Edo state. Those that are profiting from it as their conscience is already dead will be shown the way out of the state. We have duly identified the actors and the office used in perpetuating this evil on our people and we shall go all out will the full force it deserves to push out those elements. The complaints are getting too much.
The civil society community is going to take up this matter in a language such elements understand.
Adding charges that are not part of an allegation because ones palms have been greased is not just wickedness but demonic to say the least. Such cannot stand in Edo state.
The commissioner of police, department of public prosecution (ministry of justice), Edo state government, Edo state judiciary, Edo state legislature, civil society community, NBA must all come together to stop this demonic operation in the state that is being perpetuated by a recognized office.
The time has come to once prove a very strong point.
