Protesters Storm NBA Conference, Demand Release Of Jailed Lawyer
The ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Enugu was disrupted on Monday as protesters stormed the venue to demand the immediate release of Hon. Bright Ngene, a jailed member of the Enugu State House of Assembly and practising lawyer.
Ngene, who represents Enugu South Urban Constituency under the Labour Party, has been serving a seven-year sentence since July 2024, following his conviction by a magistrate’s court over a protracted community dispute.
His supporters maintain that the charges were politically motivated, describing his ordeal as a direct attack on democracy and the independence of the legal profession.
Chanting solidarity songs and waving placards with inscriptions such as “Release Bar. Bright Ngene Now—A Political Prisoner of Conscience” and “NBA, Please Save Our Democracy,” the demonstrators accused the Enugu State judiciary of frustrating efforts to challenge the conviction.
They alleged that at least two judges had recused themselves from hearing Ngene’s appeal, while the case has yet to be assigned to another judge at the state High Court.
Addressing reporters outside the International Conference Centre, venue of the NBA gathering, protest leader Benedict Kachukwu described Ngene’s continued detention as a “travesty of justice.”
He insisted that due process was ignored during the trial, calling on the NBA and senior legal practitioners present at the conference to intervene.
“This is not just about Hon. Bright Ngene; it is about the rule of law and the future of our democracy. If a serving legislator and a lawyer can be silenced this way, what hope do ordinary citizens have for justice?” Kachukwu asked.
Security operatives swiftly moved to prevent the protesters from gaining access to the main conference hall, but they were allowed to stage a peaceful demonstration around the premises before dispersing.
Protesters Storm NBA Conference, Demand Release Of Jailed Lawyer is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
