The Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, yesterday adjourned proceedings in the bail application of lawyer and former Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri Branch, Chinedu Agu, who has been in detention since September 23, 2025. The hearing was postponed to October 14, 2025, after the court indicated that the ruling was not ready.
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Agu, currently held at the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) facility in Owerri, had applied for bail following a previous order which only applied to the police, leaving the custodial authority unaffected. At yesterday’s session, the court requested that Agu’s legal team submit a written address addressing the competence of the bail application in the absence of a pending charge.
The court plans to allow the other side to respond to the written address before scheduling another adjournment for the eventual ruling. Agu has been detained for 18 days.
The case stems from charges under the Cybercrime Act, including criminal defamation, incitement, and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, following social media posts in which Agu criticized the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma and the state police’s operations. Agu has pleaded not guilty, and his defense team continues to challenge his detention.
The handling of the bail application has drawn strong criticism from legal practitioners and rights advocates. Chidi Odinkalu, former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, described the court’s conduct as “beyond and beneath disgraceful,” arguing that an independent court should have promptly granted bail on a clearly bailable charge.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria Jibrin Okutepa expressed concern over the judiciary’s role, stating: “The continued detention of Chinedu Agu Esq is not only unlawful and unconstitutional, but the judicial system has aided and abetted that constitutional sacrilege. The NBA and all well-meaning Nigerians should do something now.”
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