{"id":95062,"date":"2025-09-13T09:57:58","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T09:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95062"},"modified":"2025-09-13T10:00:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T10:00:04","slug":"tension-in-owerri-feathers-ruffled-as-outspoken-lawyer-summoned-by-police-over-criminal-defamation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95062","title":{"rendered":"TENSION IN OWERRI! Feathers ruffled as outspoken lawyer summoned by Police over \u201ccriminal defamation\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u25cf<strong>Human Rights Groups, NBA Cry Foul: &#8220;This is Political Intimidation!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sparks are flying in Imo State following a police invitation to fiery lawyer and activist, Barrister Chinedu Agu, known for his unrelenting criticism of Governor Hope Uzodinma and the state\u2019s security architecture.<\/p>\n<p>In a move that has raised alarm bells across civil society, Agu was summoned to appear before the Imo State Police Command on Wednesday, September 17, over allegations of \u201ccriminal defamation\u201d and \u201cconduct likely to cause a breach of peace\u201d \u2014 claims stemming from a petition by none other than the Imo State Ministry of Information.<\/p>\n<p>But Agu isn\u2019t backing down.<br \/>\n\u201cWe\u2019ve taken a thousand steps backward into an era of repression,\u201d Agu fired back in a statement. \u201cVoices of truth are being gagged, critics are being hunted \u2014 but I will not be silenced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawyer, a former Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (Owerri Branch), says he\u2019ll honour the invitation \u2014 but not without a warning shot: \u201cNo amount of intimidation will succeed. The law is on the side of truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"EKI9LDHfau\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/09\/01\/imo-state-where-justice-is-on-vacation-during-court-vacation\/\">Imo State &#8211; Where justice is on vacation during court vacation<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Imo State &#8211; Where justice is on vacation during court vacation&#8221; &#8212; Everyday.ng\" src=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/09\/01\/imo-state-where-justice-is-on-vacation-during-court-vacation\/embed\/#?secret=ViJm2thW8Q#?secret=EKI9LDHfau\" data-secret=\"EKI9LDHfau\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>OUTRAGE ERUPTS<\/strong><br \/>\nHuman rights watchdog RULAAC (Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre) didn\u2019t mince words, calling the move a \u201cgross abuse of state power\u201d and a \u201cbrazen attempt to weaponize the police against dissent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a witch-hunt, plain and simple,\u201d said RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma. \u201cCriticism is not a crime. If the government can\u2019t take the heat, it should get out of the kitchen!\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"mk9dv3icmP\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/09\/05\/waving-at-aeroplanes-whileimo-churns-is-chasing-rats-while-the-house-burns\/\">Waving at aeroplanes while Imo churns is chasing rats while the house burns<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Waving at aeroplanes while Imo churns is chasing rats while the house burns&#8221; &#8212; Everyday.ng\" src=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/09\/05\/waving-at-aeroplanes-whileimo-churns-is-chasing-rats-while-the-house-burns\/embed\/#?secret=18DUTLCdAD#?secret=mk9dv3icmP\" data-secret=\"mk9dv3icmP\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In a fiery public statement, the group slammed the Governor, the Police, and the Ministry of Information, demanding an immediate end to what they described as \u201cunlawful repression.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They reminded the authorities \u2014 in no uncertain terms \u2014 that defamation is a civil matter, not a crime, and cautioned against using public institutions as tools for political score-settling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe world is watching. Nigeria cannot afford a return to the dark days of fear and impunity,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NBA ENTERS THE RING<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Nigerian Bar Association, Owerri Branch, also weighed in \u2014 and their tone was no less blistering.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"kwuLmQsiMw\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/08\/31\/tears-from-enugu-a-lawyers-heart-breaking-diary-from-a-state-that-works-enugu-to-a-state-in-ruins-imo\/\">Tears from Enugu: A lawyer&#8217;s heart-breaking diary from a State that works (Enugu) to a State in ruins (Imo)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Tears from Enugu: A lawyer&#8217;s heart-breaking diary from a State that works (Enugu) to a State in ruins (Imo)&#8221; &#8212; Everyday.ng\" src=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/08\/31\/tears-from-enugu-a-lawyers-heart-breaking-diary-from-a-state-that-works-enugu-to-a-state-in-ruins-imo\/embed\/#?secret=ESjbkLa8bc#?secret=kwuLmQsiMw\" data-secret=\"kwuLmQsiMw\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an attack on the civic space,\u201d declared Daniel O. Odiba, Secretary of the NBA Owerri Branch. \u201cThe police must not become a political attack dog.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"UCFgRhCiFi\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/09\/01\/lawyer-agus-satanic-verses-against-imo-state\/\">Lawyer Agu\u2019s \u201cSatanic Verses\u201d against Imo State<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Lawyer Agu\u2019s \u201cSatanic Verses\u201d against Imo State&#8221; &#8212; Everyday.ng\" src=\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/2025\/09\/01\/lawyer-agus-satanic-verses-against-imo-state\/embed\/#?secret=PhbCVlEJUs#?secret=UCFgRhCiFi\" data-secret=\"UCFgRhCiFi\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>NBA Chairman Chief Chris Ihentuge has already dispatched a legal team to monitor the case and ensure Agu\u2019s rights are protected. The Branch vowed to pursue \u201call lawful steps\u201d if the government or police cross the line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet it be known: criticism of government is not a crime. Democracy dies where dissent is crushed,\u201d Odiba warned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BACKDROP OF GROWING TENSION<\/strong><br \/>\nThe invitation to Agu comes amid rising concerns over shrinking civic freedoms in Imo State. Critics say the Uzodinma administration has increasingly resorted to strong-arm tactics to muzzle opposition and control the narrative.<\/p>\n<p>With tempers flaring and the nation\u2019s legal community on edge, all eyes now turn to Wednesday\u2019s police appearance. Will the rule of law prevail \u2014 or is Imo State slipping into dangerous territory?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u25cfHuman Rights Groups, NBA Cry Foul: &#8220;This is Political Intimidation!&#8221; Sparks are flying in Imo State following a police invitation to fiery lawyer and activist, Barrister Chinedu Agu, known for his unrelenting criticism of Governor Hope Uzodinma and the state\u2019s security architecture. In a move that has raised alarm bells across civil society, Agu was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4016,2144,234],"class_list":["post-95062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-agu","tag-invitation","tag-police"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}