The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has said it would appeal the sentence of human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong to correctional center by Akwa Ibom State Chief Judge, stating that the lawyer was not given fair hearing before the committal.
Newsonline reports that NBA said it has carried out necessary investigations which showed that the sentence of the human rights lawyer to one month in prison was unconstitutional.
The Lawyers body in Nigeria also said all efforts it put in place to ensure peaceful resolution of the alleged contempt of court with the Akwa Ibom Chief Judge were not successful.
Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, president, Olumide Akpata who disclosed this on Wednesday, said the body of lawyers will also reach the National Judicial Council, NJC, on the decision of the judge.
Akpata said, “Last week, I provided an update on the efforts being made by the Nigerian bar Association
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.
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“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.”
He added, “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.”
Akpata stated that a minimum courtesy the bench would give a council in a case of contempt of court was denied Inibehe Effiong by the Akwa Ibom Chief Judge.
“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 may be forced to take this matter up with the National Judicial Council,” he said.
