NBA-SPIDEL Chair, Monday Ubani, Gives Police 14 Days Ultimatum To Release Gloria Okolie, Charge Her To Court Or Face Court Action

*Says Her Incarceration For 67 Days Contravenes Her Rights
To Personal Liberty And Dignity Of Human Person
*Says Arrest Before Sourcing For Evidence Is Wrong

The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public
Interest and Development Law, NBA-SPIDEL, Monday Ubani, has advised
the Nigerian Police to either release Gloria Okolie or charge her
to court

Ubani, in a statement titled “RELEASE GLORIA OKOLIE
UNCONDITIONALLY  OR CHARGE HER TO COURT IF SHE IS HAS
COMMITTED ANY CRIME” made available to Nairalaw, said
Okolie has allegedly been in detention for the past 67 days over
her friendship with an alleged member of the Indigenous People of
Biafra, IPOB.

He further described the detention as wicked and illegal.
According to him, the other allegations that Okolie carried out
espionage against the military cannot be basis of long
incarceration in law

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to the long and 
illegal detention of one Gloria Okolie  by the Nigerian Police
Authorities for over 67 days for her friendship with an alleged
IPOB member.
It is further alleged that while she is  under the
police  detention in Owerri,  she has been used as a
slave(beast of burden) and terribly abused, tortured by the
officers in charge of her detention. While these allegations are
yet to be verified as no lawyer or relation had had access to her,
we are of the candid opinion that there are many things wrong with
this detention which we consider patently illegal, wickedly and
appalling.

“What makes this matter more shocking is the latest press
release of the current Inspector General of Police after over 67
days conceding to the  arrest and illegal long detention 
on the ground that she was providing information, drugs and weapons
to the said IPOB members. According to the IGP ‘further
investigations by the police team revealed that Gloria Okolie takes
advantage of her gender and seemingly innocuous looks as camouflage
to carry out espionage against military and police targets on
behalf of IPOB/ESN.’ The truth of the matter is that if the IGP
thinks that this explanation will justify this long and illegal
detention of this young lady, it has further exposed the
incompetence and illegality with which the  security agencies
carry out investigations in Nigeria .

“Assuming but not conceding that these ‘grave allegations’ are
true, does this by any stretch of imagination empower any security
agency any right to detain a citizen for such lenght of  time,
thereby depriving her the constitutionally guaranteed  rights
of freedom of movement,  rights of dignity of person and right
of  fair trial within a reasonable time as provided under 1999
constitution? Nay, her guaranteed rights of presumption of
innocence until proven guilty has been destroyed permanently by
this lengthy detention without any charge or arraignment.”

The human rights lawyer and activist laments that in spite of
consistent advice, Security Agencies have stuck to the primitive
and unscientific mode of investigation. That they have become a big
embarrassment to the country especially being a self acclaimed
giant of Africa

He therefore gave the police 14 days ultimatum to either charge
Okolie to court or release her unconditionally default of which a
fundamental fundamental rights enforcement suit will be filed.

“We have consistently advise our security agencies to discard
this primitive and outrightly unscientific mode of
investigation of crimes in this modern times  to avoid this
unnecessary embarrassment they bring to themselves most times they
effect arrest of suspected criminals. We have counselled that
scientific and modern mode of investigation of crime is the best
global standard that is applicable all over the world even in small
African countries with lesser economic viability as Nigeria. Our
security agencies have become a big embarrassment to us as a
nation, especially when we claim to be giant of Africa.

“It is absolutely wrong to arrest an individual and start
sourcing for evidence for prosecution.  It is not  only
achaic but patently criminal  for police officers to indulge
in this manner of primitive investigation of crime in this modern
time.

We are therefore giving the police authorities 14 days from
today to charge Gloria Okolie to court if she has committed any
known offence or release her unconditionally.  We shall
commence the enforcement of her fundamental rights which has been
criminally violated if this request is not adhered to as usual by
the police authorities. They are deemed adequately advised.

#FreeGloriaOkolieNow.” Ubani said

*Says Her Incarceration For 67 Days Contravenes Her Rights
To Personal Liberty And Dignity Of Human Person
*Says Arrest Before Sourcing For Evidence Is Wrong

The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public
Interest and Development Law, NBA-SPIDEL, Monday Ubani, has advised
the Nigerian Police to either release Gloria Okolie or charge her
to court

Ubani, in a statement titled “RELEASE GLORIA OKOLIE
UNCONDITIONALLY  OR CHARGE HER TO COURT IF SHE IS HAS
COMMITTED ANY CRIME” made available to Nairalaw, said
Okolie has allegedly been in detention for the past 67 days over
her friendship with an alleged member of the Indigenous People of
Biafra, IPOB.

He further described the detention as wicked and illegal.
According to him, the other allegations that Okolie carried out
espionage against the military cannot be basis of long
incarceration in law

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to the long and 
illegal detention of one Gloria Okolie  by the Nigerian Police
Authorities for over 67 days for her friendship with an alleged
IPOB member.
It is further alleged that while she is  under the
police  detention in Owerri,  she has been used as a
slave(beast of burden) and terribly abused, tortured by the
officers in charge of her detention. While these allegations are
yet to be verified as no lawyer or relation had had access to her,
we are of the candid opinion that there are many things wrong with
this detention which we consider patently illegal, wickedly and
appalling.

“What makes this matter more shocking is the latest press
release of the current Inspector General of Police after over 67
days conceding to the  arrest and illegal long detention 
on the ground that she was providing information, drugs and weapons
to the said IPOB members. According to the IGP ‘further
investigations by the police team revealed that Gloria Okolie takes
advantage of her gender and seemingly innocuous looks as camouflage
to carry out espionage against military and police targets on
behalf of IPOB/ESN.’ The truth of the matter is that if the IGP
thinks that this explanation will justify this long and illegal
detention of this young lady, it has further exposed the
incompetence and illegality with which the  security agencies
carry out investigations in Nigeria .

“Assuming but not conceding that these ‘grave allegations’ are
true, does this by any stretch of imagination empower any security
agency any right to detain a citizen for such lenght of  time,
thereby depriving her the constitutionally guaranteed  rights
of freedom of movement,  rights of dignity of person and right
of  fair trial within a reasonable time as provided under 1999
constitution? Nay, her guaranteed rights of presumption of
innocence until proven guilty has been destroyed permanently by
this lengthy detention without any charge or arraignment.”

The human rights lawyer and activist laments that in spite of
consistent advice, Security Agencies have stuck to the primitive
and unscientific mode of investigation. That they have become a big
embarrassment to the country especially being a self acclaimed
giant of Africa

He therefore gave the police 14 days ultimatum to either charge
Okolie to court or release her unconditionally default of which a
fundamental fundamental rights enforcement suit will be filed.

“We have consistently advise our security agencies to discard
this primitive and outrightly unscientific mode of
investigation of crimes in this modern times  to avoid this
unnecessary embarrassment they bring to themselves most times they
effect arrest of suspected criminals. We have counselled that
scientific and modern mode of investigation of crime is the best
global standard that is applicable all over the world even in small
African countries with lesser economic viability as Nigeria. Our
security agencies have become a big embarrassment to us as a
nation, especially when we claim to be giant of Africa.

“It is absolutely wrong to arrest an individual and start
sourcing for evidence for prosecution.  It is not  only
achaic but patently criminal  for police officers to indulge
in this manner of primitive investigation of crime in this modern
time.

We are therefore giving the police authorities 14 days from
today to charge Gloria Okolie to court if she has committed any
known offence or release her unconditionally.  We shall
commence the enforcement of her fundamental rights which has been
criminally violated if this request is not adhered to as usual by
the police authorities. They are deemed adequately advised.

#FreeGloriaOkolieNow.” Ubani said