A human rights lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, has alleged that several individuals facing prosecution over alleged links to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, are pleading guilty out of fear rather than actual culpability.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Ejimakor described his experience at the Federal High Court as “heart-wrenching”, claiming that many of the accused persons had spent more than five years in detention at the Wawa Military Barracks in Niger State without contact with their families.
According to him, some of the detainees informed him that they had been held for years without trial and were willing to plead guilty because they feared being returned to detention or had been promised lighter punishment.
Ejimakor said he obtained contact details of some of the detainees’ relatives and reached out to them, adding that many became emotional upon learning that their loved ones were still alive.
He further alleged that some detainees whose existence had previously been denied by security agencies were among those brought before the court.
The lawyer questioned the fairness of the judicial process, arguing that guilty pleas made under fear of prolonged detention could not amount to justice.
Parts of the post read, “It was a heart wrenching moment for me yesterday at the Federal High Court when I saw so many young people lined up for prosecution on allegation of being members of IPOB or supporting IPOB.
“So many of them informed me they had stayed more than 5 years in Wawa military
This post was originally published on this site.
