Falana Faults Alleged Torture And Transfer Of Inibehe Effiong To Correctional Centre, Vows To Sue Prison Officials

A foremost human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, has condemned the alleged torture of a lawyer, Inibehe Effiong by officers of Nigerian Prisons Service.

Effiong, an activist and lawyer, is serving a one-month prison sentence for contempt of court after asking the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom, Ekaette Obot, to recuse herself from a case he is handling.

In a statement on Thursday, title; Brutal Torture Meted out to Inibehe Effiong by Nigerian Correctional Service is Unacceptable”, Falana, SAN, said, “In order to prevent Inibehe from appealing against the  conviction and sentence imposed on him the Chief Judge has refused to furnish him with a certified true copy of her judgment in contravention of section 36(7) of the Constitution which prescribes that every convict is entitled to a copy of the judgment of the  court that tried and convicted him.

“However, the warrant signed by the Judge directed that the Effiong be held in Ikot Ekpene Correctional Centre, Akwa Ibom throughout the duration of his prison term. 

“But the order of the Court was secretly varied today as Inibehe was forcefully transferred to Uyo Correctional Centre in handcuffs even though there was no violence on his part. 

At the Uyo Correctional Centre, Inibehe was forced to sit on bare floor while his head was shaved together with his beard. 

“He was thereafter subjected to more horrendous humiliation and paraded before all prison inmates.

“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.

“Apart from challenging the egregious infringement of the fundamental right of Inibehe to the  dignity of his person and fair hearing we shall press for the prosecution of the officials who inflicted torture on him contrary to the provision of section 2 of the Anti Torture Act of 2017. 

“The penalty for the offence of inflicting torture on any person in Nigeria is 25 years imprisonment without any option of fine.”