Leading from the front, NBA President, Mr. Afam Osigwe SAN, stormed the Enugu State High Court on January 19, 2026, to spearhead the defence team of embattled senior lawyer, Mr. Bright Emeka Ngene, who has been languishing at the Enugu Correctional Centre for nearly two years amid prolonged delays in the hearing of his appeal.
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However, despite the high-powered legal intervention, the Enugu State Judiciary is now under national spotlight as the fourth judge has recused himself from the appeal filed by Ngene over his conviction by an Enugu Magistrate Court.
On January 19, 2026, NBA President Osigwe SAN led a team of senior lawyers to the Enugu State High Court for the hearing of Ngene’s appeal. Also in the defence team were Chief Arthur Obi-Okafor SAN and NBA-SPIDEL Chairman, Prof. Uju Agomoh, among others.
The appeal, however, could not be heard as the hearing notice was not served on the respondent, namely the Enugu State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. This led Justice Chinedu Ezugwu to adjourn the appeal to January 29, 2026, for hearing.
Any hope that the appeal would finally be heard on January 29, 2026, was eclipsed by Justice Ezugwu’s decision to also recuse himself from the case.
The prolonged delay in the hearing of the appeal is caused by repeated recusal by judges assigned to hear the appeal. At the time of this report, no reason was given for the latest recusal by the judge.
According to a statement by the 1st Vice President of the NBA and Chairman of the NBA Human Rights Institute, Mr. Sabastine Anyia, three judges of the Enugu State Judiciary had, at different critical stages, withdrawn from hearing Mr. Ngene’s appeal before Justice Ezugwu became the fourth to recuse.
Ngene is challenging his seven-year sentence for theft and conspiracy following a judgment of the Enugu South Magistrate Court presided over by His Worship E.D. Onwu. The judgment has raised a lot of dust in legal circles for alleged miscarriage of justice.
Severally declared winner of the Enugu South Urban 1 State Constituency election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ngene had repeatedly alleged that Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is behind his ordeal for his refusal to accede to Mbah’s alleged request for Ngene to join his then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Nigerian Bar Association Human Rights Institute (NBA-HRI) has raised serious concerns over the continued detention of Ngene, who remains in custody at the Enugu Correctional Centre amid prolonged delays in the hearing of his appeal.
In a message circulated to members of the Bar and human rights advocates, Anyia described the situation as distressing, noting that the repeated recusals have taken a heavy toll on the detained lawyer, who continues to endure what he termed “agony” while awaiting justice.
“Justice for one is justice for all. Today it is Bright Ngene; tomorrow it may be someone else,” the statement read, stressing that prolonged delays in the administration of justice undermine public confidence in the legal system.
Anyia confirmed that the Senior Advocates of Nigeria handling the case are fully prepared and assured colleagues of his personal presence in court.
He urged members of the legal profession to lend their voices and presence in defence of the rule of law, warning that justice delayed is justice denied.
Commenting on the latest recusal, a fiery Senior Advocate of Nigeria wrote: “This case of Bright Ngene and many others show how the Nigerian judiciary is not independent. I am not surprised. The judiciary has been captured.
“The confessions of political actors show clearly that the justice system has since been mortgaged as instrument of persecution. Boldness and courage have since departed the seat of justice in Nigeria. What we have in most cases is caricature adjudication to satisfy the whims and caprices of political actors who have unhindered access to those who should be pure in adjudication. So sad.”
Meanwhile, several senior lawyers have asked the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to read the Riot Act on the matter, adding that the matter can no longer be treated with kid gloves.
It is unclear whether the NBA National Executive Council (NBA-NEC) meeting holding in Maiduguri will deliberate on Ngene’s travails.
In view of the circumstances, the NBA leadership appealed to lawyers across the country, particularly members of the Eastern Bar Forum, to attend the next court sitting in large numbers as a show of solidarity.
The NBA Vice President called on lawyers to stand together in pursuit of fairness and accountability, expressing optimism that collective action would help ensure a just outcome in the matter.
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