BREAKING: Inibehe released from prison after 30 days

Image: The Nation

Inibehe Effiong, the Human rights lawyer arrested in July a month ago, has regained his freedom from the Uyo Correctional Centre.

Akwa Ibom Chief Judge Ekaette Obot, on July 27, sent Inibehe to prison for contempt of court. When he came out, a team of supporters gave the lawyer a heroic welcome march.

A Facebook video post of the lawyer breaking the news on social media on Friday morning reads: “History will vindicate the just.”

Inibehe spent the first two weeks of his 30 days sentence at the Ikot Ekpene Custodial Center of the Nigeria Correctional Service but was later transferred to Uyo Custodial Centre for the remaining days.

The embattled lawyer was reportedly abused by prison officials who scraped his hair and beard. This can be confirmed as seen in the pictures and video.

He released his new look on his Twitter handle with the tweet, "History will vindicate the just."

History will vindicate the just. pic.twitter.com/y2Qsc8KR8t

— Inibehe Effiong (@InibeheEffiong) August 26, 2022

“I am back, stronger and more determined to confront the forces of oppression and to continue to speak nothing but the hard truth to the faces of the oppressors of our people. I feel sorry for those who thought they can break my spirit by incarcerating me,” he added in another post.

Inibehe’s imprisonment had been widely criticised by fellow lawyers, activists, etc. Many of them condemned the judge’s action saying he refused Inibehe of a fair hearing or need to defend himself.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General of the state, Uko Udom, had said that the judge had the power to decide contempt.

He said this on Tuesday at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association in Lagos.

Udom said, “I was somebody who was trained in the old school, I am a very conservative lawyer and have no apology for that. We were told that we do not talk back to the judge. If a judge says your conduct or your action or your words are contemptuous to the court what you do as a lawyer is to apologise and then explain to the court that it was never your intention to be contemptuous.”

Inibehe was defending Leo Ekpenyong in a case of libel said to have been instituted against his client by Governor Udom Emmanuel of the state.

Source: punchng.com

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