They Can’t Break My Spirit: Jailed Lawyer after release

We will push for the prosecution of the officials who tortured Inibehe in violation of section 2 of the Anti-Torture Act of 2017 in addition to challenging the flagrant violation of his fundamental right to the dignity of his person and a fair trial. 

In Nigeria, the penalty for torturing a person is 25 years in prison without the possibility of a fine, Falana had stated.

Inibehe Effiong, a human rights attorney, was imprisoned for one month by Justice Ekaette Obot, the chief judge of Akwa Ibom State. She has since been released.

In a message on Facebook on Friday, Effiong proclaimed his liberation and said that his captors couldn’t crush his spirit by imprisoning him.

“I’m back, stronger and more motivated than ever to fight the forces of injustice and to keep telling the oppressors of our people the brutal truth. 

I feel bad for people who believed that locking me up would break my spirit.

According to Channels Television, Justice Obot jailed Effiong for one month on July 27 for contempt of court in facia curiae after the attorney reportedly objected to the presence of armed police officers in the courtroom.

According to reports, Effiong was transferred to the Uyo Correctional Center after the judge had condemned the lawyer to the Ikot Ekpene Correctional Center.

Effiong appeared in court to defend Leo Ekpenyong against a libel lawsuit brought by Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel.

On August 17, a renowned attorney named Femi Falana (SAN) filed a lawsuit against Justice Obot for allegedly violating Effiong’s fundamental rights.

Falana had also denounced the “horrendous humiliation” Effiong had endured in front of the prisoners.

“The brutal torture meted out to Inibehe by the prison officials in Akwa Ibom State constitutes a violent violation of his fundamental right to dignity guaranteed by section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. “It is painful to note that the unprovoked violence unleashed on Inibehe is a sad reminder of the case of Minere Amakiri, then a reporter with Nigerian Observer, the old Bendel State owned newspapers whose head was shaved with a broken bottle in 1973 on the orders of Alfred Diette-Spiff, the then Military governor of the State.

We will push for the prosecution of the officials who tortured Inibehe in violation of section 2 of the Anti-Torture Act of 2017 in addition to challenging the flagrant violation of his fundamental right to the dignity of his person and a fair trial. 

In Nigeria, the penalty for torturing a person is 25 years in prison without the possibility of a fine, Falana had stated.