Residents of Enugu South Urban State Constituency on Monday staged a peaceful protest at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference, held at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu, demanding the release of Barr. Bright Ngene, the elected representative of the constituency.
The demonstrators, holding placards with messages such as “NBA, help free Barr. to represent his people,” “The people’s mandate is not a crime,” “No to miscarriage of justice. Free the people’s choice,” and “Enugu judiciary must be free from executive influence,” called for Ngene’s immediate freedom.
Ngene, a lawyer and Labour Party member who won the Enugu South 1 Constituency seat in the March 2023 elections, has been imprisoned since July 28, 2024, following a criminal charge his supporters described as “unfounded and politically driven,” after his election victory was nullified by the appeal tribunal.
While still in prison, he however won the by-election conducted by the INEC on August 16, 2025.
Speaking at the protest, spokesperson of the group, Kachukwu Benedict, said the continued incarceration of Ngene despite winning re-election from detention in the August 16, 2025 rerun, amounted to “grave injustice and a subversion of democracy.”
“We are here to register our peaceful protest to tell the world what has been happening in Enugu State for the past one year. Since July 28, 2024, Hon. Bright Emeka Ngene, who won the House of Assembly seat for Enugu South Urban, has been unjustly incarcerated,” Benedict said.
“Charges against him were baseless, judicial processes were not followed, and in less than two weeks judgment was dispensed. Efforts to get the matter before the High Court have proved abortive as judges continue to recuse themselves, while the Chief Judge has refused to assign the case. This is the highest point of injustice meted out to anybody,” he added.
The protesters accused the Enugu State judiciary of bowing to political pressure, alleging that the executive was behind Ngene’s prolonged incarceration.
They appealed to the NBA and senior lawyers attending the conference, including human rights activists like Femi Falana (SAN) and Monday Ubani, to intervene and ensure due process.
“We are not afraid of going through the judicial process. No matter the judgment that comes, we will accept it in good faith. But up till now, the case has been in comatose at the High Court. All we are asking is that the judiciary be allowed to do its job,” Benedict said.
The protest, which drew attention from conference delegates and passersby, was largely peaceful, as the group emphasised that their mission was to “beg, not fight.”
Placards also read: “Free Barr. Bright Ngene,” “NBA investigate the case of Barr. Bright Ngene’s imprisonment,” and “Injustice to one lawyer is injustice to all lawyers.”