LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong has been released from prison after the expiration of his one-month sentence.
The lawyer, who was jailed on July 27, 2022 completed his term today (Friday), 26 August.
Recall Governor Udom Emmanuel had sued Ekpenyong for defamation of character over a publication in which he accused the governor of “buying judgment” from the 2019 National Assembly Election Tribunal.
However, Justice Obot on December 15, 2020, gave judgment in favour of the Governor, the claimant/applicant. The court found the Defendant liable for defamation and subsequently awarded N1.5 billion against him.
Earlier, the authorities at Uyo Medium Security Custodial Centre refused to release Effiong after he insisted that he would not leave the prison facility secretly as they had urged him to do.
SaharaReporters reported that the lawyer had completed his one-month remand as ordered by the Chief Justice of Akwa Ibom, Ekaette Obot but the prison authorities still detained him for refusing to leave secretly.
However, on Friday, it was learnt that prison officials asked Effiong to quietly leave the prison at 6 am but the lawyer refused, saying he did not come in secretly and quietly.
“The Nigerian Correctional Services is refusing to allow lawyers and comrades to enter the Uyo Medium Security Custodial Centre facility. Inibehe Effiong has completed his one-month remand ordered by Mma Ekaette, the acting Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom state and he is to be freed from the facility today, but they don’t want him out yet. They had asked him to leave silently at 6 am but he refused. They don’t want him (Effiong) out yet because they had asked him to leave silently at 6 am and he refused.
“He said the world knew when he was sent in and the world must know as he is stepping out. We are waiting,” a source privy to the happenings in the facility told SaharaReporters on Friday.
